The Black Fairy Book
by shikiblade
Summary: If you love Fairy Tales as I do, then come and read some retellings, original stories and poem/songfics. May the child in you find fun in this collection.
1. Introduction to this Book

**The Black Fairy Book**

Welcome to my fairy book. After many years of reading and loving Andrew Lang's Fairy Books and many other retellings and versions of them, I decided to uphold a tradition. From ballets to Disney, I have discovered a few possible other stories that I would like to share with everyone. They are (at least somewhat) original ideas, but with some truth or actual mythology tied in somewhere, which I will fill you in on as we go.

Listed below are the titles of the stories, at then the chapter titles which make up the story. Some of them are oneshots, while some of them are ulternite realities to some Fairy Tales, along with a few poem or songfics.

I have called this the Black Fairy Book in honor of my favorite fairy throught all stories. While she is the rareist of all the fairies by either name or pressence, she is still the most common villain. Many people know her as Maleficent, others simply know her as the Evil Fairy Godmother, but her proper name is Caraboose. Throught my stories, she will appear quite a bit. According to my research, so far Caraboose has appeared in the following stories, with the list being updated as I learn more...

1) The Sleeping Beauty (Ballet)

2) The Princess mayblossom (Story)

**The Brave Nurse **(Done)

1) Standing Firm 2) The Long Road 3) Adorned

**The Celtic Princess** (Done)

**The Lady of Shalot** (Done)

**The Desert Sorcerer **(Done)

1) From the Sacred Flame 2)The Plagues of the Phoenix 3)The Desert Guide

**Cedar of Five Stars **(Done)

**The Fencer in Black **(Done)

1) The Foil Steals Away 2) The Blade Lures Love 3) The Saber's Last Rattle

**Percy's Feast **(Done)

'**The Enchanted harp' or 'The Bony Swans' **(Done)

1) The Quest of the Wild Prince 2) The High priestess of Watermoon 3) The Empress of Perriroyal Forests 4) The Burning Mountain of Fire

5) The High Priest of the Icewinds 6) The Final Challenge

**Iris of the Streams (Coming Soon)**

**Anachie Gordon (Coming Soon)**

Keep an eye on this page as I will be adding more stories as I write them and dated notes which may interest you.

For those of you who enjoy my stories, homoerotica, original stories, fairy tale rewrites or a combination of the lot, you can find my other series of Fairy Tales on Adult Fan Fiction. Same screen name, or do a search for Queery Tales.

Now, in reference to my one and only review, I am not impressed HAHA. Let me point a few things out.

1) Some of these are retellings, meaning that they are old stories in a new format, so no duh we have all heard this story before. It is stated frequently throughout this publication that some of these stories are retellings, in case you were reading with your eyes shut.

2) 10% or more of the story was changed, meaning that I can't be sued for copyright. This is how Madonna got away with doing 'American Pie', and how this will stand up in court.

3) I have gone back and added a list of all the changes I have made to the original story to the end of the final chapter, so you can tell the difference between the original bible story and my story, in case you couldn't do it yourself.

4) I referenced all the major points from the bible and where the Exodus story can be found (it isn't that hard anyway), so there is credit made to the original story.

5) You are a coward, not reviewing from a set up account allowing me to tell you these things in private.

I like constructive criticism, but outright attacks get slapped back with their own medicine.


	2. Standing Firm

A/N: From watching the Movie version of the Ballet 'The Sleeping Beauty' I was inspired by the idea of someone protecting the princess before the spell was cast. So obviously, this story starts off as it would be Sleeping Beauty (my favorite story) but continues in another direction.

**The Brave Nurse**

_Chapter One: Standing Firm_

Once upon a time in a far away land lived a King and his Queen. For many years they wished for a child, for there were growing fears of no one to take over the kingdom. But soon, the Queen fell pregnant and a child was born. Word went out across the kingdom searching for the best nurse to look after the princess. It quickly reached the ears of the King and Queen that there was a local woman named Catherine who had looked after children for many years of her life.

Catherine was instantly summoned to the palace and offered a wealthy sum of money to look after the child. Agreeing, Catherine was moved to the palace to begin her new work. Soon, the child was born, a beautiful young girl whom the King and Queen named Aurora .

Catherine started her new duties and never left the Princess alone for more than a minute. The Queen became very fond of Catherine. One day while the Queen sat with Catherine and Aurora, she asked what would be the best way to celebrate the childs birth.

"Invite the whole kingdom," said Catherine, "and allow them to meet the young Princess. Also send word for all the Fairies to come and bless the Princess, for she will need the protection throughout her life. For each fairy who comes, make her a present of cuttlery with precious stones in them, and present each of them with a goblet of the same. This will please the fairies to use their magic to bless your daughter." And so the Queen went and discussed it with the King, who sent out the invitations and had the cuttlery made.

When the day of the feast and the christaning came, many people flocked to the palace bringing gifts and their best wishes for the princess. But most splendid of all were the seven chariots that came, each one bringing a fairy and being led by different creatures. When the fairies entered the palace, they were treated most kindly, and each was presented with their specially made cutlery and goblets. Each fairy in turn was pleased and they sat down to eat. But before the food was served, a harsh wind rose and blasted the doors open. Appearing suddenly in a flash of lightening and fire was the eighth fairy, Caraboose. She was long believed dead or missing, as no one had heard form her in many years. She was treated with the same curtiousies, but there were no more sets of cutlery for her. She took out her own and sat down to eat. When the time came for the blessings, the youngest of the fairies hid behind a curtain, fearing Caraboose would do something horrible.

As each fairy approached the craddle, they bowed to the princess and then commended Catherine, having each heard of her great work. The fairies blessed princess with beauty, intelligence, courage, song, grace and diplomacy. But then it was Caraboose's turn.

"You royal fools," she snapped at the King and Queen. "You did not invite me, nor did you respect me at your table, now your daughter shall pay for your short-comings." She turned to the craddle, but Catherine had stood up between it and Caraboose.

"You shall not harm this child with one word of your dark magic," Catherine said in a very disapproving tone.

"Step aside wench, for none shall stop me," Caraboose said.

"You cannot hurt her as long as I stand on this spot," Catherine yelled. Caraboose turned her attention to one of the men standing near the King and Queen. Approaching him quickly, she took out her wand waved it in one furious stroke and he was suddenly bald from her magic. Another wave and he followed her around the room as she danced wildly with him mimicing her movements clumsily. With another wave of her wand, the man fell over dead.

"Do you still challenge me?" Caraboose demanded.

"You cannot hurt this child as long as I stand on this spot." Catherine repeated, folding her arms in defiance. Again, Caraboose looked around the room and pointed her wand at one of the banners that portrayed a picture of a lion. The lion came to life, roaring and leaping to the floor. It appraoched Catherine, but she stood her ground and the lion did not jump.

"You cannot hurt this child as long as I stand on this spot," Catherine said again as if telling off an imputent child.

"Fine then, I shall curse you instead." Caraboose put her wand away and pulled out a green crystal ball. Waving her hand over it, black smoke swirled and she looked into it. "For every child you louch, each one shall fall ill. Every child you hold shall contract a fatal illnesses, and you shall never be happy with your work again." With that, Caraboose laughed wickedly and disappeared. Catherine huffed but did not dare turn to the Princess whom had just woken up. The Queen rushed over to her daughter and held her and slowly backed her away from Catherine.

"Fear not," came a voice, as the youngest fairy appeared from behind the curtains and stepped forward. "The Princess cannot be hurt by Caraboose's spell, for Catherine stood to protect her. But Catherine shall be much troubled after her work here. Each child she looks after will become either blind, deaf of dumb, but none shall die. For a woman as brave as you to stand up to Caraboose, you shall be relieved of this burdon when you have cursed one hundred children."

As the day drew to a close and Catherine was putting the Princess to bed, she thought hard about what she was going to do. Her work here wasn't going to last forever and afterwards she was going to be cast out of the village, for no one would want their child to be disabled. Making up her mind, she was going to flee the kingdom the day she was dismissed.

Five years later, Catherine was summoned before the King and Queen, and they both thanked her for all her hard work, but said it was time for Aurora to start being looked after by a tutor. Giving her the last of her money and wishing her well, Catherine went on her way the following morning. As she was walking through the streets, some children ran past playing a game. As they continued down the street, one little girl tripped and fell. Forgetting herself, Catherine ran over to the girl to help her to her feet and to see if she was alright. But as Catherine touched her, the girl went ridgid for a moment, then screamed. Many women gathered around and soon discovered the girl was now blind.

"What did you do to her?" The women of the town demanded.

"You stole her vision, you witch!" One woman yelled. Catherine, in sorrow and fear, ran from the town. As she reached a forest, Catherine stopped to catch her breath. As she rested, a child who was playing in the forest came up to her.

"Why are you crying pretty lady?" he a hand on her. As he did, his hearing was sucked away from him.

"Oh my boy," she said, trying to communicate with him, but no matter what she said, she couldn't get a word to him. Finally, he ran away in fear. Catherine went deeper into the forest until she came across a tiny little hut. It was abandoned and drafty, but she managed to set it up for the night. Looking around, she fould an old quilt and some sewing items, amoungst which was some gold cloth. Sitting herself down before a small fire, she began to sew into the quilt two golden stars, one for each child she had cursed. She swore to herself that, reguardless of what happened, she would rid herself of this curse. As she said this, she pricked her finger and a drop of blood fell onto the quilt.


	3. The Long Road

_Chapter Two: The Long Road_

For ten years, Catherine was miserable. She had moved from town to town, searching for work. But needless to say she had very little luck as every child she touched, she cursed either dumb, deaf or blind. Shortly afterwards she was sent away. Finally, Catherine travelled through the country until one day she came to a small village. She settled herself at an Inn and ordered a meal. While she was there, a little girl came up to her and started speaking to her. While their conversation carried on, the little girl touched her. Catherine withdrew quickly, but to her surprise the child was not cursed.

"What a strange child," she said. Testing her luck, she touched the child again but she was still not cursed.

"What's the matter ma'am?" she asked.

"Who are you?" Catherine asked.

"My name is Tanya," she answered. "My Mum is just over there. She wants to talk to you," the girl continued. Catherine let the girl lead her to the woman sitting at a table on her own. The table had a cloth across it and was decorated with stones, a candle and a deck of tarot cards*.

"Greetings child. I hear upon the wind of your troubles. My Great Aunt has cursed you to injure children upon a single touch. But your service to the children of this world does not go unnoticed to my Great Aunts. Tanya, being a great decendant of them is immune to your curse. Pick a card form my deck and we shall see what they have to say." The woman took up the deck and fanned out the cards. Catherine, feeling she had little to lose, picked a card but as she pulled it out of the fan, two more fell out with it. The woman turned the cards over one at a time. The first card was a woman sitting amoungst four swords.

"It is time for you to rest from your curse. Come and stay with me and Tanya and help me raise her." She turned the second card, showing a man trying to balance on two staffs as if they were stilts. "You are not in this alone. You need to seek people who can aid you in your curse. I will direct you to my Sister who can aid you. But lastly..." She turned the final card over. A woman was sitting with a man pouring water form her goblet to his, with other goblets lying around. "You must remember that looking after children is your calling, and where you put your emotions. Do not give up." The woman put the cards away and stood up. "Stay here tonight and consider what I have said, but you can find me in the forest at the end of the thinnest trail." The woman called Tanya over and they were away. Catherine, who had not a word to say, retired to her room.

The following morning, Catherine made her way to the forest and followed the thinnest trail she could find. Sure enough, at the end of the trail was a large house. Built of wood and straw, much like a wood-cutters cottage, Catherine went over a small creek and up to the door. Before she could knock, the door opened and a young woman was standing there. her hair was the most beautiful shade of blonde.

"Greetings Catherine, how are you? We have been expecting you all morning," she said with a small curtsy and a smile. She becconed Catherine inside and took her bag and cloak. Inside was Tanya who was writing in a book and the woman who had read her cards.

"Oh Catherine, at last," the woman said. She came over and took Catherine by the hand. "Welcome to this sanctuary. You know Tanya of course, and this here is Rose. She is under my protection from a most wicked witch. While we wait for events to transpire, she lives here."

"It is a pleasure to meet such a beautiful young woman," Catherine replied, "and how lovely to see Tanya again. But I do not know your name."

"Do forgive me, but at the Inn I am known as Madia the Mystic, but my proper name is Elle."

"Well, Tanya's name means Queen of the Fairies. Is she to be a royal member of the Fairies?" Catherine inquired, having worked out that Tanya was Elle's child.

"She will recieve her powers as she grows older," Elle explained. "But for now, she is simply blessed with fairy magic to protect her."

"And Elle is a name for Beautiful Fairy. As your looks are quite stunning." Catherine was quite taken in by Elle's beautiful looks for her age, which was almost hidden. "And Rose, clearly meaning the flower, is also anmae linked to horses and fame," Catherine finished.

"Thank you ma'am. I do so like horse-riding. I am going out riding later today if you wish to come along," Rose asked politely.

"I'd be delighted to my child," Catherine answered.

"Well, enough politeness, let's get you settled in," Elle said and led Catherine upstairs to a spare bedroom. As Catherine finished unpacking and had a look around, she came downstairs.

"Now then, dear Catherine, I would like you to help Tanya with her learning and etticate. Rose will need help with her education as well." Before Elle could say more, a gust a wind blew threw the house, blasting the doors and windows open, and a familiar figure appeared from a flash of lightening and flame.

"Get behind me children," Elle said, stepping forward as Caraboose appeared in her dark glory.

"Greetings, my dear niece," Caraboose said with a sneer.

"Caraboose, you are not welcome here," Elle said back shortly.

"And I see you are protecting Rose and Catherine. Do you think this would escape my notice? Did you think I wouldn't be able to effect them here?" Caraboose asked, stepping forward with a look of pure anger upon her face.

"As I am assigned the work, I take it," Elle snapped. "Now get out before I force you out. This is sacred magical ground where your power is not as strong," Elle pointed a finger at Caraboose threateningly.

"You dare challenge me?" Caraboose demanded, pointing a finger back. There was a flash of lightening as a bolt went flying at Elle, but a shield was formed and the bolt couldn't penetrate.

"Arise my children, hear my cry, take this evil and on her way to fly," called Elle. As she said this, many birds flew in through the open door and windows swooping and pecking Caraboose until she disappeared in a flash of flame and lightening. The birds then fled back out into the forest.

"Why is she so determined to hurt me?" Catherine asked.

"Caraboose has been spiteful since she was a child. She simply hurts anything she sees as a threat or to cause pain. She cursed you because you got in her way. But until you forfill her curse, she will be able to keep an eye on you."

"But I am already half way through my curse, so why doesn't she see how determined I am?" Catherine said.

"She still hopes to break you down. But you are strong Catherine. And how do you know how far through your curse you are?" Elle asked. Catherine ran upstairs and brought down the quilt she had been sewing. Upon half of it were fifty golden stars, the rest was still blank.

"I understand," Elle said. "Leave this with me and I shall make some altercations."

When the quilt was handed back, every star had a small gemstone sewen into the star, and Catherine was handed a bag of fifty gemstones for when she added more stars.

For six months, Catherine helped Elle bring up Rose and Tanya until Rose, cursed by the witch who found her location from Caraboose, put Rose into a deep sleep. Elle said that Catherine needed to move on now so that Rose could be looked after and that Catherine could finally rid herself of the curse. Directing her in the direction of her elder sister. Catherine set off. As she followed the path to the south, she passed through many villages. Despite her hearts reluctance, she still aided children until discovered to have removed one of the childs' senses. Finally, Catherine reached the south forest and, sure enough, found the house of Breen, Elle's older sister.

"Greetings Catherine," said a young boy as Catherine came to the door. Stepping inside, Catherine came face to face with a woman who looked quite similar to Elle, but her hair was a different color, as were her eyes. Catherine was just getting settled in when, as before, Caraboose appeared.

"So you are protecting Catherine now, dear niece." Caraboose snarled.

"Do not threaten me Caraboose, for it is I that weaves the magic that protects your Palace at the Forbidden Mountain. Even in your one hundred years of absence, I still protected it for you. Now leave before I banish you myself," Breen threatened.

"Very well Breen, but do not think Catherine will be here forever," Caraboose warned and disappeared. For six months, Catherine tended to the young boy's upbringing. The boy, Baily, was to learn about agriculture, as his magic would lead to the protection of harvests and farms. But after six months, Baily was to go and learn the magic of the fields with one of the older fairies, and was sent to live with her. Catherine took direction to see Breenas' older sister in the west, and she set off.

As Catherine travelled, still begrudgingly passing on the curse to children she met or cared for, she reached the next sister fairy in the western forest.

"Greetings Catherine," said a young man as Catherine came to the door," my name is Daire. Do come in. Faida is waiting for you," he said as he offered her a hand to enter.

"Thank you Daire. A name meaning wealth should bring you a wealth of manners as well as wealth itself," Catherine said with a smile. Inside, Catherine met another woman looking very similar to her younger sisters, but her hair was a shook white and her eyes were almost clear if not for the faint trace of blue.

"Hello child," said Faida. "Welcome to my home. I have spoken with my Sisters, and I am happy for you to reside here and help my son Daire with his education, but I must warn you to be careful. It is I who makes the wings that are given to new fairy, and you must not touch the hanging materials in the attic, for they are very fragile and can be damaged easily." As Faida finished speaking, a familiar gust of wind blew open the door and windows and in came Caraboose.

"So it is your turn Faida, to protect this cursed woman," Caraboose growled. "I will not put up with this. She is cursed and that is all. None of you can protect her forever." Caraboose pointed her finger at Faida, but then retracted almost immediutely.

"That's right Caraboose, you know I will damage your wings should you dare to mess with Catherine while she is here. And we both know that it will make you mortal. Do not make me do what no one has dared do before today." Caraboose looked like she was going to blast lightening everywhere, but in her fury she left.

Catherine stayed on at the residence of Faida for a good six months, allowing herself rest from her curse and to raise Daire to understand money and financing. When the time came for Daire to visit the fairy queen for his blessings, Catherine was also dismissed, given directions to the fairy in the north. Catherine, knowing her curse was soon to end, went forth into the kingdom again. As time passed, she realised she was returning to her home town where she once looked after the Princess Aurora, who must have been nearing her sixteenth birthday after all this time. Catherine looked at herself in the reflextion of a near stream, seeing how her skin was beginning to age and her hair to lighten. Feeling weak but determined, Catherine pressed on until she reached the village outside Aurora's castle. Here, she passed through without anyone recognising her. She then continued into the forest beyond, now knowing it as the North forest. There, she found the wood-cutters cottage she had stayed in on the very first night she had been dismissed from the castle. But instead of it being abandoned, there was someone living there and the cottage had been repaired. Knocking upon the door, who should answer but the Fairy who had lifted a part of her curse.

*The tarot deck dexcribbed in this chapter is 'Tarot of the Old Path', a British styled deck designed to reflect the day and age this story is set. The Tarot cards drawn from the deck are the four of swords, meaning rest and recovery; the two of rods reversed, representing the lack of ability to do things on one's own without seeking aid; the four of cups, representing the emotions one pours into another person, thing, event, hobby, etc.


	4. Adorned

_Chapter Three: Adorned_

"Do come in Catherine," the Fairy said, her young voice quite surprising to Catherine, for almost sounded no older than twelve. "It is so nice to see you again. But we must hurry. Show me the quilt I left you," Fayette, the youngest of the elder fairies said. Catherine took out the quilt and passed it to her. There were ninety eight stars upon it.

"Dear, you must sit down and with the last of the material, add the two remaining stars," Fayette instructed, "For Caraboose will soon be on her way, and she knows that if she can stop you cursing two more children, then she will grow in power." Catherine, with much distaste for Caraboose, sat down and began sewing straight away. Soon enough, the quilt was finished and it was as beautiful as anyone could imagine it to be. Fayette took the quilt and waved her hand over it and the stones began to shine like stars.

"Go into the village and just after the entrance you shall find two children playing. Call them over and ask them to look at the quilt. As they do so, you must touch the little boy first, and he will loose one of his senses, but as the girl tries to run, you must throw the quilt over her and embrace her, for this shall lift your curse. Caraboose is on her way here, now hurry," Fayette said, leading Catherine back outside. As they left the cottage, Fayette looked up and saw heavy storm clouds quickly racing across the sky.

"Hurry Catherine, here she comes. The quilt will protect you from her, but you must hurry." Fayette nudged Catherine who began running through the forest towards the village. Soon, the sun was blocked out and lightening was rumbling in the heavy clouds. Lightening flashed here and there through the forest, but none of it came close to Catherine as she continued towards the village. As Catherine entered a clearing between the forest and village, lightening strcuk very closely to her. Knowing that this was Caraboose's doing, she took the quilt and wrapped it around her and put it over her head. As lightening continued to strike very close to her, Catherine bravely kept running towards the village. As she arrived, she saw the two children Fayette had said would be there/

"Children, dear children, do come here a moment," Catherine called. Doing as they were bid, the little boy and girl came over and Catherine knelt before them. She took the quilt off of her back and showed it to them. "What do you think of this my children?" she asked.

"It's very pretty," said the little girl as she looked at the many stars across it.

"And it is very well made," said the boy, who seemed to eye the stones set into it.

"Thank you my dear," said Catherine, brushing the boys cheek. As she did so, the boy seemed to get a little light-headed, and was then struck dumb. He tried to say something, but then ran away in terror. As the little girl, his sister, went to follow, a bolt of lightening and fire announced Caraboose's appearance.

"This time Catherine, there are none of my sisters nor nieces to protect you or this child." Caraboose looked at the child. "Melinda, the one hundrenth of the children to be cursed. Well, if she is dead, there is no ending your curse." Caraboose smirked with triumph as she raised her hand to strike Melinda down with a bolt of lightening, but Catherine, heeding Fayette's words, threw the quilt over the little girl and embraced her. Melinda seemed to faint in Catherine's arms just as Caraboose released the bolt of lighteing. It struck the quilt, which started to sparkle with the many gemstones sewn into it.

"My curse is forfilled Caraboose. Back to darkness with you," Catherine said in an angry and defensive tone. The quilt, it's magic complete, threw Carabooses' lightening back at her, and she was zapped with her own magic. With a shriek and flash, Caraboose was gone. Catherine took the quilt off of Melinda to see if she was alright.

"Can you hear me child?" Catherine asked.

"Of course I can lady," Melinda answered.

"Can you see me?" Catherine continued.

"Of course I can ma'am," Melinda answered again, looking confused. Catherine smiled with relief and sent her to fetch her brother. A few minutes later, she came back with him.

"What can you I do for you ma'am?" he asked her.

"Nothing, I just wanted to make sure you were alright," Catherine said, and sent them on their way home.

Returning to Fayette's home, she was much surprised to find not only Fayette, but Faida, Elle and Breena waiting for her.

"Hello my ladies," Catherine said with a deep curtsy.

"Greetings Catherine. Well done, you are free of the curse, and we have someone who wishes to meet you," Elle said. With a wave of hr hand to her sisters and great aunt, they turned and waved their wands to form a large lilly. From the lilly came the queen fairy. Catherine instantly bowed low to her in deep respect.

"Hello Cathrine, my poor child. You have suffered these many long years because of my wicked sister. But for all your bravery, knowledge and hard work before and during the curse, we wish to gift you," the queen said.

"My lady, there is nothing in the world I can think of that you would offer me for cursing one hundred children," Catherine said sadly.

"But you haven't dear child. As the last child was cursed, your love for them was woven into the quilt and protected them. Now that the curse is over for you, the curse is over for them as well. Their senses have been restored. And to reward you for everything, we wish to make you a fairy like us," the queen offered.

Catherine, who was too stunned to speak, simply bowed. Elle stepped forward and with a wave of her wand, restored Catherine to her physical age before she was cursed. "My gift, dear child, is to restore you to your youth, before you were cursed, for no woman should live the leangth of her life with such burdons."

Faida was next, her wand waved and Catherine felt a sudden lightness. Looking down, she saw she was wearing nurses' robes, but of the finest quality that could not be given to a royal nurse. And coming from her back were a pair of deep aquamarine wings. "My gift to you, dear child, is the physical form of the fairy, for it is I who bless it upon all," Faida said.

Breena stepped forward and tapped Catherine upon the head. Catherine saw in her mind a beautiful house waiting for her in a nice location in a forest close by. "I have built you your home and put the proper magic around it, so you may do your magic from there," Breena said. Lastly was Fayette and the queen, who adorned her with a small tiara of gold with saphires.

"Our gift is your fairy tiara, that it will always bring you respect and honour as one of us," the queen said.

"That we, the oldest and youngest of the elder fairies, announce you one of our family," Fayette added.

And so it was for many years to come that Catherine lived in her house in the forests. She was visited many times by the princess Aurora until she was crowned Queen, and had her own children. Catherine was invited to all the ceremonies, and each time, although expected, Caraboose did not turn up. Catherine continued to aid and help children, either by taking them in, blessing them and by helping mothers or nirses who were not as skilled at parenting. But for Catherine, she could not think of anything else that would make her happy, and lived a very long life looking after children. After all, the fairy do live extremely long lives, and they always do what they enjoy.


	5. The Celtic Princess

A/N: This story is a bit of a re-write. When I was very young, I saw a short cartoon that was a basic fairy tale. It was kind of Repunzel in reverse. I've decided to mix this with some celtic origions, which I will explain at the end of the story. This story is short, so it is a one shot, but nevertheless, I hope is an enoyable story.

**the Celtic Princess**

'_It is he who, blazing, seeks burial grounds,_

_He, the smooth, spiteful dragon that flies through the night,_

_Enveloped in flame; all men fear him greatly'_

_Beowolf_

There was once upon a time a princess who lived in a castle with her father and mother, and her name was Diana. Now, unlike many princesses, Diana was very cunning and intelligent, as well as fair as any princess one could meet. She had long brown hair to her waist and always wore the nicest things.

Now Diana had a mass yerning to read and study, and in her life had learned a lot about magic. Some viewed her as a witch, but many reveered her as a powerful princess who helped those in need. In her possession were three artifacts she had found that were of celtic origin, and for this, she was known as the Celtic Princess to many. One of these items was the ring of truth she gained from a wise owl; a simple silver ring with woven bands. The second was a golden torc with a pearl set in a simple broach. This was known as the broach of communication, which allowed Diana to talk and listen to anyone or anything, be they human, animal, awake, asleep or even unconcious. This gift she had recieved upon a journey to the mountains of fire. The last was a comb that allowed the wearer to recall anything the wearer knew. This comb was given to her by a salmon whom she had recued from suffocation on the shores of a river.

Now it was coming upon the Princesses sixteenth birthday, and henceforth time for her to marry. But for the many suitors that came to woo her, she turned them all away. No gift they presented interested her, nor could they stimulate her intellect or sense of adventure. But one day, a slightly older man came to the palace in search of the princesses' hand.

"Greetings sir," said the Queen as the man approached the throne. "Who are you and where have you come from?" she asked.

"I am Claude of the Highlands, and I wish to ask for the Celtic Princess in marraige." Now Claude was a very pale man, but had hair and eyes as black as midnight. Diana, who was present, did not turn him away immediutely, but looked at him.

"What have you to offer me?" Diana asked.

"I offer the Princess whom knows so much a request, that she may ask for something and I shall grant it to her, whatever it may be, for my knowedge of magic shall see it done," Claude answered.

Diana, who was not surprised this man could perform spells, thought for a moment. "Travel to the far away Mountains of Fire, where dwells the fire dragons of sacred power. Bring to me a cloak of a dragon's hyde that will grant me advanced knowledge, and I shall be yours in wedlock." Diana looked at Claude, awaiting him to be stunned or cry in protest. But when he did not, Diana grew instantly distrustful of the man who had come a-courting.

"Very well my Princess, it shall be done," and with a bow of respect, Claude exited the palace and rode away.

"Diana," said he father, "what are you thinking sending a man to the Mountains of Fire," he dammanded.

"Claude claims to know magic, but even there, very little will protect him from the continuous flow of lava, nor is there any magic known that can slay a dragon of ancient knowledge. This is a true test for someone of his power and stature. And the Fire Dragons do not deal well with those who would try to harm them," Diana explained. Unable to change the situation, the King resigned himself to accept her explanation.

Diana returned to her studies of magic and politics, thinking she had seen the last of Claude, but a week later, he returned. Sure enough, he had the cloak and before the King and Queen presented it to Diana.

"My dear Princess Diana, here is the cloak of knowledge you so requested. I now ask for your hand in marraige as agreed," Claude said as he handed the cloak to Diana. Taking it, she examined it for a few moments and then grew angry. Storming over to the fire place, everyone watched her in wonder.

"Here's what I think of your cloak," she yelled, throwing it onto the fire. After a few moments, the flames caught and the claok burned to ash. Claude was mcuh outragged.

"My ring of truth told me from the beginning that you were false, so I tested you with an impossible task. You confirmed my suspicions when you said it shall be done. The instant you handed me the cloak I knew it was false, for I have felt true dragon hyde and you have made me a cloak of dead snakes," she explained in a fury.

"Insolent witch," Claude snapped. He held up a hand with a gold ring on it set with a yellow stone. There was a puff of smoke and both he and Diana were gone.

A few hours later, Diana awoke to find herself in a tower room. There was little there but a table, chair, bed and toilet. Going to the window, she looked out to see she was in the middle of no land she recognised.

"Princess," called Claude from below. looking down, Diana percieved Claude mounted upon his horse. "You are in the tower of many doors, where no man has escaped. I will not permit you to leave until you agree to marry me," he called.

"No, I will not allow a man so false to rule my kingodom." Diana called down.

"Very well, you shall stay up there until you agree to marry me," Claude called, and rode away swiftly. Diana, not to be dismayed by her present situation, went to the door to the tower room and tried it. to her surprise, it opened easily. Taking her hair comb, she brushed her hair and recalled what she knew about the tower of many doors. Sure enough, it was a bespelled place that sorcerers and witches used to trap people until they got their way. The passages would lead in circles or back on themselves to insure that no one could find their way out. Diana began walking through the many halls and corridors. Most of the rooms she tried were either empty, had skeletons sitting at tables or lying in bed, or were locked. After a few days of trying, Diana began to grow impatient. But every day, Claude would come to the tower and call to her until she answered. Each day he would ask if she would marry him and each day she told him that no trecherous snake would be her husband nor king of her land.

Thinking hard, Diana decided to use some of her magic to start mapping the tower. Every room that was empty, she placed a circle and a number upon the door with a simple spell that made whatever she traced on a surface appear in chalk. Each room that had a skeleton she marked with a cross and a number, and each door that was adorned with furniture she placed a square and a number. It did not surprise Diana to discover that the doors often changed on whether or not they were locked. After another day of wandering around, she finally found a flight of stairs that led to a lower level. she marked the doors at the top and bottom with an arrow pointing in the direction the stairs went, and started on the next floor.

After a few hours, Diana was surprised to open a door and find someone inside the room. Lying on the bed was what she for a moment thought was a large wooly animal. But on closer inspection she saw it was a man who had let hs beard and hair grow to extraordinary lengths. Listening, she heard the man was asleep and counting in between snores. How long he had been there she did not know, but he had reached numbers so high that she could not write them down.

Touching the mans forehead with one hand and her golden torc of communication with the other, she spoke to the mans mind.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I am Prince Tristan." he answered before listing another number.

"Why are you counting in your sleep?" she questioned.

"I have been cursed to count until I reach a number not thought of by man." Tristan answered.

"You must awaken from this curse," Diana explained, knowing that it would not be that long before he dreamed the cursed number.

"But I can't," he said. Diana sighed to herself.

"Just start counting backwards," she said. As she said, this, the snoring figure repeated the number he had just said, and then started counting backwards. Sighing with frustration, she spoke to him again. "Start from one hundred or you will never get there," she told him. The snoring figure of Tristan then started from one hundred after a few tries and then started counting backwards. Diana waited patiently until he reached zero. Stretching and yawning, Prince Tristan awoke.

"My goodness, how long have I been here, and how my hair and beard have grown," he looked down at his hands, and then went to a water basin to see his face. "Yet I don't seem to have aged a day."

"Who cursed you to this horrid life?" Diana asked.

"A man named Claude. He wished to learn of the location of my family's ring of power, but I would not tell him. Oh how my parents must be worried about me."

"Never mind, we need to escape the tower," Diana exclaimed.

"How will we do that?" Tristan asked.

"Follow me," Diana answered, leading him to the window. Picking up his long beard and hair, she tossed it out of the open window and it reached the ground. Rubbing his head and face, Diana made sure that there would be no pain to Tristan upon her decent. Taking hold of his bear and hair, she climbed down the outside of the tower. Just as she got to the ground, Claude came around the corner of the tower and was much surprised to see her.

"How is this possible?" he demanded.

"I simply called animals to me to donate their hair and bespelled it into a usefull climbing rope," Diana said, indicating what was really Tristans long hair and beard. Believing her trick, Claude grabbed it and gave a hard pull, wanting to take the hairs away for his magical spells. But as he pulled much too hard, Prince Tristan came tumbling down out of the tower right on top of Claude, who was crushed. Tristan, however, was unharmed.

"Let us go Tristan, for I think Claude's horse can help us get home," she said, taking Tristan and helping him into the saddle. Using her torc of communication, Diana spoke gently to the horse, who promised to take her back to her kingdom, for it knew all the lands it had travelled.

Upon arriving home, the King and Queen were overjoyed to see Diana again, and made welcome Prince Tristan, who had enetertained Diana upon their journey home and kept her interest.

"Mother, Father, I wish to marry Prince Tristan," Diana said, for she long ago offered.

Sending envoys to Tristan's country to see him safely home, it was quickly organised and agreed to marry them and form a union of their contries. After a much needed shave and haircut, Tristan took Diana to meet his parents where the marraige was made official and the ceremonies began, and the two of them lived happily together until the end of their days.

A/N: While the ring and comb Diana wears is fictional, the Dragon she sends Claude after is from the Celtic belief of the Fire Dragon (Draig-teine). The Fire Dragon was a vision of Uther (King Arthur's father) and it was foretold he would be king. The Fire Dragon since passed down to be a symbol of power.

However, the Fire Dragon is also translated as the guardian of the Druid location of Glastonbury Tor. This location was important for initiation, but was also said to be the home of ledgedary dragons, or the Fire Dragon. In this place it guarded its treasure from greedy theives and rewarded those who are worthy. In this instance, Diana recieved one of her torc from the dragon, which is why she knows of its nature, and because she would do good with her gift the dragon gave her. She also knew it would kill Claude for he was not worthy. This trick, which Claude fell for, is why she knew the cloak was a fake.

The Fire Dragon translates as a symbol of Transmutation, Mastery, Energy, Leader/Rulership, Power. It's symbol is the golden torc.

The poem at the beginning was written from tradition and in honour of the Fire Draogn.


	6. The Lady of Shalott

A/N: If the title of this story hasn't rung any bells for you, then you need to do some reading. This classic poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson, was very well known for its sad story and beautiful images it placed in your mind. One of my favorite singers, Loreena Mckennitt, took ths poem and turned it into a song. Basically singing the poem to a simple tune, she has stopped entire theatres with this song. Beleive me, I know, I was there.

What I wish to do is make this a bit of a song-fic/poem-fic, so that you can experience the beauty that is this poem and a bit of a retelling. I have not used the full poem, but just enough to give you an idea of the story. If you have not read the poem and/or heard the song, do a google search for 'The Lady of Shalott' and you will be linked to Wikipedia and probably be handed a few You Tube videos as well.

Enough gasbagging, I do hope you enjoy this story. All rights to Alfred Lord Tennyson (RIP) and Loreena McKennitt. No money is made from this publication. If the reviews for this are good, I'll do another song/poem-fic.

**The Lady of Shalott**

_On either side the river lie  
Long fields of barley and of rye,  
That clothe the wold and meet the sky;  
And thro' the field the road runs by  
To many-tower'd Camelot;  
And up and down the people go,  
Gazing where the lilies blow  
Round an island there below,  
The island of Shalott._

During the long rein of King Arthur and his knights, there stood, well beyond the boundries of Camalot, a castle upon an island known as Shalott. This island stood in the middle of a river that flowed form the mountains far away down to Camelot and out to the seas. While many people ventured past this place of great beauty and wonder, none knew of who lived there, nor had any been able to reach it to find out.

_But who hath seen her wave her hand?  
Or at the casement seen her stand?  
Or is she known in all the land,  
The Lady of Shalott?_

What passed around to whomever asked was the story of a woman who lived in the tower, a prisoner there by some means unknown. Many people suspected that dark magic kept her trapped there, but none could prove it, for no one had seen this Lady of Shalott, so none could confirm her existence. All that was known was of this castle, standing upon an island that grew flowers throughout the year.

_Only reapers, reaping early,  
In among the bearded barley  
Hear a song that echoes cheerly  
From the river winding clearly;  
Down to tower'd Camelot;  
And by the moon the reaper weary,  
Piling sheaves in uplands airy,  
Listening, whispers, " 'Tis the fairy  
Lady of Shalott."_

The many farmers who worked the fields near the castle heard a voice singing from the towers there. While the voice is both beautiful and lovely to listen to, there was never a sign of who was singing. Because of the rumours that persisted, it was guessed by the workers it was the fairy that protected the castle, and that The lady of Shalott must have been one.

Within the castle itself was a grand set up for anyone to live by, but no King nor Toyal lived in this splendid place. Indeed, only one person did, the Lady of Shalott. Blessed by fairies, she lived her in near imortality and protection for her skills.

_There she weaves by night and day  
A magic web with colours gay.  
She has heard a whisper say,  
A curse is on her if she stay  
To look down to Camelot.  
She knows not what the curse may be,  
And so she weaveth steadily,  
And little other care hath she,  
The Lady of Shalott._

The lady's skills were indeed for weaving, and for every day and every night, she sat in her room and weaved the most beautiful tapestries for all the fairies of the kingdom and of the world. Hanging before her was a magic mirror, that reflected images of people who passed the castle on their way to and from Camelot, The shadows and images in the mirror depicted many things to her. And as she looked upon the image, she would start weaving anew, and soon, the new tapestry would be finished.

But as she weaves, she can hear the voices of the fairy around her as they come and go for her tapestries. From her many years of listening, she learned that she had been cursed when she was young by an evil fairy, so that perhaps one day there would be less beuty in the world. but no matter how hard she listened, she could not discover the full story behind her curse.

But from this, she decided to keep at her work, weaving the threads and creating most beautiful works of art. She cared little for the comings and goings of the people she saw in the mirror, for she knew simply that they lived free lives to do as they wished. Quite often she saw the many knights of Camelot riding past. She had created many tapestries of them in their shining armour and beautiful horses, and had learned the names of the knights over time. But she was sure there were more she hadn't met.

Quite often, the magic mirror would reflect events that had recently come to pass. One day, The Lady of Shalott sat before her mirror and a funeral procession was reflected in the mirror. The lady of Shalott sighed and thought of the sadness of the people as she began her new tapestry.

As time went on and she was ready to begin again, the mirror flashed up two young people who had clearly been married recently. And while happy for them to have found each other, the Lady of Shalott felt slightly envious, for her many years here, she had not a man of her own.

"I am almost half sick of these shadows," she muttered to herself, but continued to weave the image of the couple by a glorious full moon.

_A bow-shot from her bower-eaves,  
He rode between the barley sheaves,  
The sun came dazzling thro' the leaves,  
And flamed upon the brazen greaves  
Of bold Sir Lancelot.  
A red-cross knight for ever kneel'd  
To a lady in his shield,  
That sparkled on the yellow field,  
Beside remote Shalott. _

_The gemmy bridle glitter'd free,  
Like to some branch of stars we see  
Hung in the golden Galaxy.  
The bridle bells rang merrily  
As he rode down to Camelot:  
And from his blazon'd baldric slung  
A mighty silver bugle hung,  
And as he rode his armor rung  
Beside remote Shalott. _

One day, after being out riding, Sir Lancelot came riding towards the castle of Camelot down through the many fields. As he rode past the castle of Shalott, he looked at it in a moment of wonder, having heard the many stories, but considered them nothing more than stories. As he continued to ride, his armor glistening in the sun and the plume in his helmet blew gently in the breeze, he had little idea of what his mere pressence was about to transpire.

_From the bank and from the river  
He flashed into the crystal mirror,  
"Tirra lirra," by the river  
Sang Sir Lancelot._

As the lady of Shalott sat at her web to begin an new tapestry, she saw a knight that had not been shown to her in the mirror. His handsome features and strong figure, as well as beautiful voice transfixed her, and the lady of Shalott looked on at his image, her heart giving way to love for a man.

_She left the web, she left the loom,  
She made three paces through the room,  
She saw the water-lily bloom,  
She saw the helmet and the plume,  
She look'd down to Camelot.  
Out flew the web and floated wide;  
The mirror crack'd from side to side;  
"The curse is come upon me," cried  
The Lady of Shalott._

In desperate need to lay eyes properly on the man she now felt for, she ran from her web to the window of her tower and looked out, she saw there the knight riding away into the distance. Following his path, she saw the far off kingdom of Camelot.

A sudden smash turned her attention to the mirror, for she feared it had fallen, but in truth it had cracked, the image of the knight gone. Looking to her web and loom, she saw her tapestry there, and all the others she had made fall apart and disappear.

"This is the curse, I have brought it about," she cried, and ran from the tower, calling out for help to anyone who might hear her, but no answer came. Feeling weak, the lady of Shalott knew her time had come.

Making her way out of the castle and down to the edge of the island, the Lady of Shalott found a boat sitting under some willows. Taking some paint from the castle, she painted around the bow her name in the most beautiful coligraphy. Sitting in the boat, she loosened the chain and the pull of the river sent her on her way down to Camelot. Laying down, she began to sing a song of the fairy as she slowly travelled down towards the oceans. As she slowly travelled, the lady of Shalott felt coldness grow within her, as her blood slowly froze. her eyes becoming dull and the senses faded.

_Heard a carol, mournful, holy,  
Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,  
Till her blood was frozen slowly,  
And her eyes were darkened wholly,  
Turn'd to tower'd Camelot.  
For ere she reach'd upon the tide  
The first house by the water-side,  
Singing in her song she died,  
The Lady of Shalott._

As the boat enetered Camelot, the song she sang gave one last note and the lady of Shalott, sad and alone, died in her boat. As she continued to float through the river, the many people who walked the streets began to cry in shock and amsement to see this lone boat float in from nowhere and carry a dead woman on its coarse. As the boat passed by, the people read her name, and the many stories of the lady of Shalott were confirmed, in one way or another. The many people wished her well to her next life, that God might find forgiveness to her.

As the boat passed the castle of Camelot, the knights and King were celebrating. Many things to celebrate had recently come to pass, and a feast was being held. But as the feast continued there came shouts from the watch towers. king Arthur and his knights went to the walls to see what was going on. looking over the edge at the boat that floated by, the knights began crossing themselves and praying to God for their protection, for it seemed a bad omen for a mysterious death to come by at such a time.

_Who is this? And what is here?  
And in the lighted palace near  
Died the sound of royal cheer;  
And they crossed themselves for fear,  
All the Knights at Camelot;  
But Lancelot mused a little space  
He said, "She has a lovely face;  
God in his mercy lend her grace,  
The Lady of Shalott."_

For you see, not all stories end happily. But for some, a bad ending is still a lesson in itself, and one that must be learned from. Sir Lancelot, not knowing he was the pivital point of her daeth, continued his life without any worry, to the end we all know.


	7. From the Sacred Flame

A/N: While it isn't apart of my beliefs, I do believe something like the story of the Exodis from the bible happened. There is archological proof that something did happen, but instead of telling a possible historical event, I'm going to go the complete opposite direction. Moses will be our hero and the Pharoah (known as Ramses II or Ramses the Great)as the villain, but still a spellcaster. I hope you enjoy this story.

**The Desert Sorcerer**

_Chapter One: From the Sacred Flame_

Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived a wanderer in the deserts of Northern Africa named Moses. For many years he had walked the desert plains, learning of the sacred arts of magic. The things he had learned in his long life had been earned through toil and hardships. Although he had set out on his magical journey alone, he had soon been sent a message from a divine entity, who pointed him on the way to deeds of great good and aid to many people.

Upon reaching an older age, Moses decided that it was time to take on an apprentice. In so thinking, he went into the desert at the peak of its heat and seeked the highest point in the sands he could find. There, with his wooden staff of Ash, he drew symbols into the sand. When he was done, he kneeled down and called out loud 'Come forth to me, Phoenix of the great plains, for I seek your aid at this time.' Form the symbols drawn into the gorund, a great fire arose, supported by nothing, and formed into a burning fire contained within a magic circle.

"I hear you, Moses of the Desert, what is it I can aid you with?" a deep male voice asked.

"I seek, in my aging years, to pass along my wisdom, but because this wisdom was granted to me, I ask you to tell me if there is one so worthy as to learn?" Moses asked the flames, bowing deeply.

"There is one who can be trusted to take your place, but you must seek him. His name is Aaron, and he resides in the Village of Reeds. Seek him out and ask him to demonstrate his magic. If he can do this, you shall teach him. If not, your secrets shall not be passed on." The voice in the fire spoke to him. "If he does what he should, bring him to me," the voice continued, before the fire shrivelled and burned out. Moses stood and looked to the East towards the Nile River, where the Village of Reeds was located.

Upon his journey, Moses passed through many villages and towns upon his journey, passing out information and advice. As he continued his journey, he came across a man walking in the desert looking rather lost.

"Greetings young man," Moses said. "You seem to be lost and unsure of your bearings. Where are you headed?"

"My name is Joseph and I am trying to get to the Village of Reeds, but I seem to have lost my way." the man answered.

"Come with me Joseph, for I am headed to the Village of Reeds," Moses answered. Seeing the man was thisty, he took his staff and conjiured some water into a flask for him to drink. As they journeyed, they talked about many things such as their beliefs, the rulings of the many kings in the world and how kind or corrupt they were.

"...but the king that is most cruel is Ramses of Egypt. I hear he is using slaves to build cities in Egypt. He does not pay them, nor does he give them straw for their bricks." Moses knew instantly what a burdon that was, for straw helped the drying bricks maintain their shape and stopped them shrinking. But with their daily quota required with the extra work, it was a sad thought to think of the people suffering.

"What will you do?" Joseph asked.

"I do not know yet, for I have another quest to forfill first," Moses answered. "We are less than a days' journey to the Village of Reeds. From there I will make plans to visit the Pharoah. Perhaps I can reason with him." Moses didn't say anything more on the subject and continued upon his journey.

As he reached the Village of Reeds, Joseph thanked him with a shelter for his visit and whatever else he could help him with.

"Tell me Joseph, is there man named Aaron in the village?" Moses asked.

"Not that I know of, but ask around and you might find him," Joseph said. Moses did just that the next day, but no one could tell him of a man named Aaron nor of anyone with a similar name. Moses thought hard, but after speaking to the village Oracle and wiseman, but there didn't seem to be anything to help the situation.

Almost ready to give up, Moses went back towards his shelter with Joseph when he bumped into a young man who seemed to be leading a heard of animals.

"Pardon me young sir," Moses said.

"Do not mind me, for I am in great sadness," the young man replied.

"Why do you feel this way?" Moses asked.

"I am wanting to learn magic, but there is no one here to teach me," the young man answered.

"Show me your magic," Moses replied. The young man seemed confused, but he took up his crook and waved it, chanting lightly. As he chanted, the circle he was drawing with it cast sparks and soon little beings of light flew in all directions. It was a very standard trick amoungst all magicians, but upon looking closely, the sparks were desert fairies, not simple illusions of sparks and lights.

"You must be Aaron," Moses said, leaning on his staff.

"How do you know my name?" Aaron asked.

"Because I have been sent to retrieve you and to teach you the secrets of the Desert Phoenix," Moses explained. "You have been chosen." Moses followed Aaron to where he worked, which was a place just outside of the village. Moses paid the people who hired Aaron considerably for the release of his services and led him back to Joseph's home. After spending the night, Moses and Aaron left the city, headed north for Egypt and the city of Thebes. But on their journey, Moses stopped and summoned the Phoenix Fire.

"Welcome Aaron," the voice of the fire said. "I understand your want to learn magic, and have choosen you to learn the magic Moses possesses. However, it will not be an easy thing to learn, and it is a difficult life to follow in the service of me. Are you prepared to shoulder your new responsabilites?" The flame asked.

"Yes, I am," Aaron answered, slightly hesitantly. From the fire arose a firey image of a bird. Before Aaron could move, the Phoenix swooped on him and swallowed him in fire. Almost as instantly as the fire engulphed him, it seemed to disappear into him. Aaron fell to the ground and was unconcious. The Phoenix Fire went out and Moses took the unconcious Aaron to a shady spot nearby. where he awaited for him to return to conciousness.

Finally, when Aaron did come around, he looked at Moses. "What happened?" he asked weakly.

"You were accepted by the Phoenix. And so for this day on, you learn from me," Moses said. "You will wittness first hand what I can do upon our trip to Thebes."


	8. The Plagues of the Phoenix

_Chapter Two: The Plagues of the Phoenix_

As Moses and Aaron travelled, Moses first asked Aaron what magic he already knew, which turned out to be mostly summoning and light offensive spells, which were now a bit more powerful form the magic given to him by the Phoenix. Moses began to teach him spells and incantations for slightly stronger abilites, but when Aaron inquired into the more pwerful spells he could learn, Moses told him to be patient.

After three days journey, the reached the boarder of Egypt. From there, they could see the temple at Abu Sinbel. Going inside, they paid their respects and took shelter. Aaron was amased at the many statues of the Egyptian Gods and the many carvings of the Egyptian warriors. Aaron found that, despite never learning hyroglyphics, he could read it perfectly.

Soon their journey north began again, and Aaron continued to learn his spells. Moses, while impressed with his improvement in such a short time, was still wondering how he would deal with this situation, should it arise into something more dangerous.

Upon arriving in Thebes, Moses took Aaron to one side. "I want to make it very clear that we are going to ask for the Pharoah to let the people go. I will do any magic that is needed, but you are only to use magic to defend yourself or me, nothing else."

"I understand, "Aaron replied. As they came to the palace, the guards asked about their business.

"My name is Moses, and I have wish to speak with the Pharoah," Moses answered their requests.

"Moses, the desert Sorcerer? By all means, come in. We have heard of your greatness," the guard said. Leading them inside, he offered for them to rest and drink while he spoke to the Pharoah. Soon, an audience was granted, and Moses went in, followed closely by Aaron.

"Your majesty, I present Moses, the Sorcerer of the Desert, and his apprentice Aaron." There was a rise of mutters and whispers as everyone observed Moses and his apprentice.

"Greetings to you Moses," said the Pharoah who stepped down from his throne and came forward. "What can I do for you? A visit from a man such as yourself does not come every day."

Moses and Aaron, after bowing, looked at Moses with a slight air of uncertainty.

"I have come to speak with you about the Jews you have working upon your cities in the north," Moses answered.

"Nonsense," the Pharoah replied. "What concern is the slaves of my empire to a powerful ma like yourself?" The Pharoah replied.

"I seek that they be treated fairly. Not allowing them the needed straw from your own workers nor allowing them rest, or even payment. My Lord, what could this possibly do to benifit your workers?" Moses asked.

"What I do with my workers is none of your business." the Pharoah replied.

"It has been made my business," Moses answered back.

"Seise them!" The pharoah demanded. Moses, putting up a hand to stop Aaron getting to excited, threw his staff in the direction of the appraoching giards, and it immediutely reved up and turned into a king cobra, hissing furiously and moving quickly. The guards, frightened of the snake, backed away.

"Very clever Moses, but that is old school," the Pharoah said with a smile. Waving his hand, two men stepped forward and threw down two staffs which reverted into cobras, although not king cobras. The battle between the snakes was on, but the king cobra won and devoured its opponents.

"I ask you let the Jews go Ramses," Moses called.

"I do not think so Moses. Unless you can conjiur a better trick to convince me, I will double their workload instead. I'm sure they will thank you for that."

Venturing out to the southern end of the town, Moses summoned the Phoenix to him.

"I know of your thoughts Moses, but it is a dangerous task you venture upon," The voice of the fire called. "It will cost many lives for you to do this."

"Will you protect the Jews if I do this?" Moses asked.

"I will, but only if you can succeed. You know what must be done, but do not hesitate, for stopping will ruin your magic," the Phoenix explained.

"I will do it," Moses said, holding his arms open. The fire turned a deep purple color and shot into Moses through his chest. Moses, stronger than Aaron, did not pass out from the impact or power, but was short of breath for a few minutes.

"What is it that must be done?" Aaron asked when Moses had recovered.

"The Plagues of the Phoenix, my boy. I hope that the day you might need them does not come," Moses explained. "Let us go, for we have work to do."

As Moses and Aaron returned to the city of Thebes, their welcome was not as pleasent as the first. But Moses, a strong character, ignored the people until he found what he was looking for. Going up to a stall, he asked the woman at the counter for a chicken. She raised the price on it, but Moses still paid. Taking the animal to an alley, he poked it with his staff and it died instantly.

"The blood of this chicken has been taken to serve our first attempts," Moses explained. "Not magic I will teach you yet, but in time," Moses said, before Aaron could ask. Moses then led Aaron to the river where the Pharoah was relaxing on his boat. "Let the people go," moses called to the Pharoah.

"I shall not do so," the Pharoah called back.

"Now what?" Aaron asked.

"I shall strike the water that is the Nile with the rod that is my hand and all the river shall be turned to blood. All the fish shall die and all the people shall refuse to drink of it's water."(*1) True to his word, Moses stepped a few paces into the water and raised his staff. Calling loudly a few words in a foreign language, the staff hit the water, and within moments, the whole river had turned a deep red. There were screams and cries all down the bank as people spat and chocked.

"Let the people go," Moses called.

"This redness is natural occurance Moses, for the topsoil of the land shall make the water foul and it's color red, but it is not going to persuade me." The Pharoah sat back in his boat and continued sailing.

Moses, not to be defeated, took from a shoulder bag a small green stone and inserted it into the top of his staff where a small notch was set for holding stones. Driving the staff into the water,

"I summon frogs from the river Nile, that they may come to the land of Egypt. Let them roam free into the land, that they shall enter the houses of the people, into the rooms and into beds, into the kitchens and into the furniture, that they shall not be called off until the people are freed. But let the frogs leave the Jews alone, for they are innocent."(*2) From there, the stone glowed deep in color, before a wave of green light spread across the red Nile and disappeared. The Pharoah, looking at the sky and the cloths of his shaded pervillian, saw and heard nothing.

"Where shall we hide?" Aaron asked.

"Hide?" Moses replied. "You're going to learn some magic while you are here. As they walked back to the city, Moses taught Aaron an incantation that would protect him from animals that might be bespelled. Aaron and moses practiced it until the sun had gone down. As the moon rose over the land, there was a green shimmer trailing across it's surface. A buzzing sound was then heard, and then, looking to the Nile, Moses and Aaron saw a wave of frogs jumping out of the water and into the city. Casting their shields, Moses and Aaron cast their shields and the madly jumping frogs simply bounced off. Soon the city of Thebes was filled with mad screams as the frogs jumped into the homes and over the people, as Moses foretold them to do. But looking about, the frogs were avoiding the Jewish houses.

As dawn broke the next morning, there came a horrid loud song from the palace rang out across the city. The frogs were all turned and sent back to the Nile, and the city was clensed of the frogs.

"Frog Song," Moses muttered under his breath. He turned and went to the edge of the city. "Cast your shield again, for this will be blinding to those who are not protected or Jewish." Aaron castthe shield immediutely, and Moses held his staff to the sky, the green stone still in it. "I strike the sand that is the desert with the rod that is my hand and summon forth lice made of the sand, and the land of Egypt shall be covered in lice, but the Jews shall be left alone, for they are innocent in this affair." Moses drove his rod into the sand, and like the water of the Nile, and the green shimmer ran through the sand. Moses called forth his shield, and he and Aaron watched as the sand began to move like water, but then all the sand as far as anyone could see in any direction turned into lice that started crawling everywhere. Screams ran across the desert as the lice covered the cities and the crops quickly. But there was only a small amount of time that Egypt was covered in lice, for from the Palace came a ringing sound and all the lice burst into sand and fell back to the desert.

Moses drove his staff into the ground again, but did not summon any other creatures. He turned and led Aaron to a small oasis not far from Thebes and there, they rested for the evening.

At first light, Moses arose and awoke Aaron and told him to summon his shield. Moses then went to the water of the Oasis and drove his staff into the water.

"I summon from the waters of Egypt a plague of flies, that they will spread over the land of Egypt. Let them fly into every home and cover the people, that they will be driven mad, but let them leave the Jews alone, for they are innocent in this affair." (*4) Again, the green shimmer flowed through the water and Moses called forth his shield. Out of the water, flies flew everywhere, headed straight for the city of Thebes. Moses and Aaron, with some difficulty, headed towards Thebes to see the chaos that was the plague. But upon their arrival, there was a jingling sound coming from the Palace. As the sound rang out, the flies retreated and returned to the waters.

"What else can we do?" Aaron asked.

"Fear not, for there is still more to be done," moses answered. The two men wandered into the city until they came upon a part of the town that held much livestock. Moses took away the green stone from his staff and replaced it with a red one.

"Let the blood of all animals be infected, that all the animals in the land of Egypt become sick, and the Egyptians shall refuse to eat the meat that is the animals of the land." (*5) Holding his staff in the air, a red haze spread out and touched every animal, and it spread until it had crossed the land of Egypt. All the cattle, horses, oxen and other animals started to move around in a strange manor. Soon they were all falling and refused to walk, and all the animals of Egypt were struck down sick.

"Will they die?" Aaron asked as he observed the curses on the animals.

"No, but they are too sick to do anything, and any that are killed are not good to eat." Moses explained.

For two days, Moses tried to appeal to the Pharoah, but he refused to let the Jews go. On the third day, there was a mist arising from the Palace, and soon all the animals were touched by it, and the curse was lifted. Moses and Aaron went to the Palace, and stood before the Pharoah Ramses.

"I take the ash of the Phoenix," he called, taking a small bag from his belt and sprinkled some into his hand. "Let it fly across the land of Egypt, that all who are not innocent in this affair shall be struck down with boils. No matter what the healers do, nor what is applied to them, the people of the land shall be covered with boils of such pain and disfigurement." (*6) Before anyone could stop him, Moses threw the ash into the air and it spread around like a mist upon the air. Screams instantly filled the rooma s everyone, including Ramses, were covered in boils and burns. The cloud of ash had soon covered the land, and then it disipated, and all the people were covered in boils and burns.

"Is this the best the Sorcerer of the Desert has to offer?" asked a voice, somewhat grunted. The magicians of the court stepped forward and from a pouch on his own belt, took out some gold dust and threw it into the air. Soon, like the phoenix ash, it had covered the land of egypt and the boils and burns had lost their pain and were curable.

"Very well," Moses said, not being deturred. He pulled Aaron close to him before he put a hand into his pack and pulled out a small stone of a pale yellow color. "Let the anger of your heart be reflected in this stone, and let it rain from the sky in the same level. May the destructiveness you wish towards others now be passed onto you."(*7) Moses threw the stone to the ground, and the broken shards flew into the sky. Moses and Aaron then fled the Palace quickly, as the sky filled with red clouds and hail as hot as fire stardted to rain down. Moses was protected and he covered Aaron until they found shelter. The flaming hail fell for two days, and much was destroyed. But on the third day, a blast of water rose from the Nile and hit the sky, and the red clouds abaited and the hail was stopped.

"What else can we do?" Aaron asked.

"I must ask if you can count?" Moses asked. "For I was offered ten plagues of the Phoenix, but I have not cast them all. how many have I cast?"

"Seven," Aaron answered.

"Correct. While I expect this plague will be undone as quickly as I summon it, we need time to rest." Moses replaced the green stone into his staff and held it to the sky. "I summon a plague of locusts from the air that the people of this land breathe. let them cover this land in their madness, but they shall not harm the Jews, for they are innocent in this affair." And so it was that the locusts were summoned across the land.

Returning to the Oasis, they soon heard the sounds of the locusts retreating into the land and disappearing.

"Two left. What is the next plague?" Aaron asked.

"One that is difficult to cast, but shall be done at dawn." Moses looked at Aaron. "It will be a good day to practice your fire magic."

"I understand," Aaron answered.

The next day, Moses placed the green stone from his staff back into his bag and replaced it with the red one. "I summon up the sands of the desert, that they will fly into the sky and guard the sun, that darkness will cover this land of Egypt" Moses called. Sand flew up instantly and it covered the sun and the darkness of the land was thicker than midnight.

For most of the day, Aaron praciced his fire magic and Moses instructed him, continuing to rest his strength. But as the sun was setting, the darkness was broken and Moses knew that the Magicians of the Palace had undone his plague.

"Then so be it," Moses muttered. Standing, he drew the summoning symbols into the sand, but Aaron, who was very observant, noticed extra symbols in the sand. Summoning the sacred fire, it was black and purple in color.

"We must cast the final plague," Moses said and form his bag he held up a clear crystal.

"So be it," the voice of the fire answered. It rushed into the crystal, which instantly turned black. Moses went forth with Aaron to the Palace.

"What will you do now?" Pharoah asked.

"At midnight, the phoenix will go forth throughout the Land of Egypt and the firstborn of all the land shall die. Form the son that sits upon your throne to the first born of the poorest in the land. From the firstborn of your people to your animals, shall the phoenix smote down and shall be dead." (*10) Moses turned and walked away without another word, and no one dared try to stop him. The Pharoah instantly summoned the magicians of the Palace to protect his youngest son.

At Midnight Moses took a deep breath in light of what he had to do, then threw down the black stone. From it flew a white mist that flew across the land of Egypt. The white broke into smaller entities and then flew into houses. Each entity touched the firstborn and took his or her soul, and then flew off again. Within minutes, cries and laments were heard all throughout the land. Moses looked to the palace as many white mists floated in and, after a few moments, floated out again. Moses and Aaron began to walk towards the Palace.

*1 Exodis7: 14-25

*2 Exodis 8: 1-8

*3 Exodus 8: 16-19

*4 Exodis 8: 20-30

*5 Exodis 9: 1-7

*6 Exodis 9: 8-12

*7 Exodis 9: 13-35

*8 Exodis 10: 1-20

*9 Exodis 10: 21-29

*10 Exodis 11 Exodis 12


	9. The Desert Guide

_Chapter Three: The Desert Guide_

Walking into the Palace, Moses and Aaron found the Pharoah laying his son down and covering him with a sheet.

"You and your people are free to leave." The Pharoah said. Moses and Aaron, saying nothing, left.

As they walked through the part of town set up for the Jews, they all got word of their freedom from slavery and began putting together their needed things. As the dawn broke over the horizon, the headed east to the Nile.

But back at the Palace, the Pharoah Ramses' anger arose form the death of his son, nothing his Magicians could reverse, nor his healers deal with. Refusing to suffer this defeat, he musttered his chariots and charged after Moses and the Jews.

Seeing the oncoming attack from the Pharoah, Moses hurried his people along to the Nile while stopping to protect them. When the last people had passed, only he and Aaron stood in the way of the enraged Pharoah and his charge.

"Aaron, take the people to the Nile and protect them as best you can. Throw this into the water that they will have a way across," he ordered, passing him a small stone in a forest green color.

"What about you?" Aaron asked.

"Do as I say and call to me when everyone is safely across." Moses shoved Aaron hard and he ran off without another word. Moses quickly drew symbols into the sand, then stabbed the middle of them with his staff. The earth started to shake as the chariots drew close. Moses retreated a little as the sands gave way and out came a giant cobra, unfurling itself in the path of the Pharoah and his chariots.

Down by the Nile, Aaron found his way to the front of the crowd. Holding the stone Moses had given him and trusting his magic, the threw it into the Nile as far as he could, which was some distance. Green lights flashed and before them grew a long bank of green reeds. Aaron stepped forward cautiously and when he found that they acted like a proper bridge, he led the people over to the other side.

The Pharoah, having used a lot of his armies arrows to attack the cobra had it defeated. Melting into sand upon the ground, the chariots now had a clear path to the river. Moses, who had started drawing more symbols. As the chariots drew near again, Moses waved his hand and up raised a wall of fire. Stopped again, the Pharoah became furious and started shooting arrows at Moses and the Jews. While few were hit, the arrows did little damage to the people crossing the Nile on the bridge of reeds.

"Arise fey of the desert fire," Aaron said, spinning his finger and casting his first spell, summoning fairies. "Fly to Moses and tell him of our safe crossing," Aaron instructed. The fairies disappeared and arrose out of the fire, dancing around and flying to Moses, whispering Aaron's words. Moses ran down to the river, just as the wall of fire broke and the chariots could charge again. Thrusting his staff forwards at the river, the water parted. Waiting in the water was the form of a phoenix made of water. Jumping onto its back, Moses flew forward through the parted water, arrows flashing past. As Moses reached the other side of the water, he turned back to see the Pharoah looking at the parted water.

"Turn back Pharoah, you cannot get us now," Moses called.

"You shall pay for insulting me," Pharoah called and charged forward. Moses, sighing with sadness, closed the walls of water on the charging army.

Beached on a rock, the body of his army gone, Ramses yelled in despair as he faced his defeat.

Leading his people into the desert and away to the east, Moses followed a path that was shown to him by birds flying in the sky, knowing that the Phoenix had sent them to guide him.

After several days, the people were tired and worn. It was clear that the many of them had not packed enough water nor enough food to survive in the desert heat or cold for a great amount of time. As they came upon the edge of Mount Sinai, they stopped and refused to go further until water was provided to quench their growing thirst.

"Moses, I know you can conjiur water, but for so many people?" Aaron asked.

"It is a simple task which I will teach you in due course, but for now, let each man, woman and child prepare buckets, bowls and whatever they need to provide water for themselves and their stock." Moses said, and Aaron went about calling out to the people. Moses gathered them around rocks in the desert, and when he had everyone settled, struck each rock with his staff three times and water poured endlessly from them. Each person filled their bowls and buckets and drink their fill, until everyone was refreshed. Taking next their waterskins and filling them as well, everyone was ready to continue.

"Where are we going?" Aaron asked.

"Deep into the Mountain Sinai, where a man awaits to lead the people," Moses explained.

"Who is this man?" Aaron inquired.

"You will see," Moses said with a smile. Leading the people again, they followed a path that went up the mountain and into the rocks. When they reached a very large and flat area of the mountain, Moses bid everyone set up camps in the caves and in the flats while he organised some things. Moses led Aaron alone to the top of the mountain. There, in a cave, sat an old man, hunched over a small table, a wheel and some candles.

"Jethro, my mentor," Moses called, before bowing lightly with respect.

"Greetings Moses. I have been watching you for some time," Jethro said in a deep voice. "I have accepted to lead the Jews and aid them into prosperous futures. I want you to go forth to the people and find five men that are fit to rule and judge, for they will be the council of the Jews. Then I want you to summon the priests and religious men together to become a religious body of the people and lead them in prayer. Lastly, I want you to find the most wise of women to be the representatives of all women in the council of men." jethro hadn't moved one inch except to speak or breathe. Aaron thought this odd, but as this man was far and away superior to himself, he said nothing.

"It shall be done," Moses said, turning to leave.

"Wait. Leave your student with me, I wish to tutor him in a few things," Jethro muttered. Aaron was quite stunned, for he thought Jethro had neither seen nor heard him.

"I might be an old man Aaron, but I can still see and sense things around me," Jethro said. "Sit here and I shall speak with you." He raised a hand and indicated a position on the other side of the low table as Moses walked out into the arising village.

"Now Aaron, you have seen some very dark and powerful magic in the past few weeks. I wish it to be known to you that, despite the ease of which Moses could cast it, he has used a great amount of strength to do so. Do not ask him at all to show you how to cast those spells, for you are not ready. But I will teach you about your crystals and about staffs." Jethro stopped talking for a moment and seemed to be meditating. "I will have a staff ready for you in three days. Until then, I want you to read these, and ask Moses should you become unsure." He waved his hand to acorner and there were a mass pile of scrolls. Aaron swallowed loudly.

"Very well sir," Aaron answered.

It took ten days and ten nights, but finally, the ten rules of the village were written. Jethro, Moses and Aaron bound the rules in sacred magic and had them carved upon stone. The tablets were erected in the now growing communitty that was well shelttered within the mountain. Moses and Aaron had spent much of their time using their magic to grow wheat, barley, corn and create wells for the people to live from. Sure enough, Moses and Aaron were proclaimed heroes of the Jews.

After a year at Sinai Mountain, Aaron had learned much from both Jethro and Moses, while the Jewish communitty was slowly set up. Although there were mounted fears of the Egyptians attacking them, it was soon abaited, as the Pharoah Ramses was heard to be turning his attention to building and construction, his focus on them gone.

Finally, as the last day of the year settled, Moses and Aaron sat at a fire talking.

"Will we not stay to protect them?" Aaron asked.

"Jethro is strong enough to do that," Moses replied, looking into the flames.

"I understand," Aaron answered.

"And when he dies, which will not be for a long time, the Phoenix will summon me here to take his place. And then it will be your turn, should you live. And then your apprentice after you," Moses explained.

"The lesson of the Phoenix," Aaron said as he poked the fire with his staff.

"Indeed. Everything from knowledge and wisdom to magic and power is passed down, and as one phoenix dies, another will arise to take its place," moses agreed.

The following day, Moses and Aaron left the village and headed out into the desert again, following the call of the phoenix into the world.

A/N: I know it is far from accurate to the story in the Bible, but please remember this is a retelling of fiction. I do not wish to find my reviews full of religious debate, nor my inbox crowded with angry emails about religious disrespect. That is not my intent nor my purpose in writing this. This is a work of fiction inspired from the story of Exodus. Following my last review, here are the differences.

1) Moses prayed to God, not the Phoenix

2) Moses spoke to God through a burning bush which God made, Moses didn't light it

3) Moses didn't summon God

4) Moses wasn't a sorceror

5) Moses was a Jew

6) Aaron and Moses were brothers, not teacher/mentor

7) Moses recalled the plagues, not the Pharoahs sorcerors.

8) Moses and Aaron didn't flee to an oasis at any point.

9) Moses only used his staff, not crystals

10) There was no one waiting at

11) Moses and Aaron stayed with the Jews, they didn't leave.

I think I've made my point


	10. The Cedar of Five Stars

**Cedar of the Five Stars**

Once upon a time in a far away land, stood a small tree. Now this tree had quite the mind of its own, full of ideas that only a tree could think. As he sat in his place, one season fading into the next, he wondered what his life would be like. He knew for many years that he would stand here, enjoying the beautiful sunshine, the cool and refreshing rain and be home to many animals, but he felt there had to be more. His soul cried for a new way of thinking.

What this tree didn't know about itself, was it's destiny in life. This tree, a beautiful cedar, was choosen by the Earth Mother to do special things.

And so it began as the tree observed another summer falling into place over the refreshing spring, that his part of the woods had many visitors. While people were not uncommon in the woods, it was odd for them to spend so much time around him. He more often than not wished they would pay attention to him as they played around or rested under the other trees in the forest. But this season had seen him being graced with more attention.

One day as the hot summer sun burned overhead, he heard the whisperings of two people. Looking down, he saw that they had taken shelter beneath him, discussing something of great improtance.

Now, for those of you who do not know, trees know everything, or learn of everything that happens in their world. The Cedar listened closely to the people talking, and discovered that their discussion was of a woman in the nearby village.

"How foolish she is, to have lay with him without marrying him," one said.

"I know," the other replied. "But one might understand it if they married afterward."

"Yes, but he has run off, so now she is to live with her mistake," the first person continued.

"Perhaps she should run away into the night and find somewhere new to live?" suggested the first.

"Perhaps she should become someone's housewench, for she has little use to anyone now."

"Now, now, what a horrid thing to say." And as the two kept on discussing, the tree felt sorry for the woman of which they were speaking. Soon enough the two walked away, deep in conversation after their rest beneath the Cedar.

It was a few nights later when the Cedar, resting and bathing in the moonlight, heard hurried footsteps and the sound of crying. Looking about, the tree could see no one.

"Dear moon," the tree called upon the breeze. "Shine your light into the forest that the traveller may see their path."

"So it shall be," the moon replied upon the soft wind, and the forest became brighter with moonlight and the tree could see who was there. A woman of greatbeauty was runningtowards the great Cedar, and when she reached it, she seemed to be completely out of breath. leaning against the tree, she took her rest.

"Oh, they say such cruel things," she said aloud between deep gulps of air. "Where shall I flee to? I shan't be a housewench, but I shall not stay here to suffer forever. Why has God led me down this path?"

The Cedar knew at once that this was the woman of which the two other people were discussing the other day. He admired her beauty and grace. Rustling his branches lightly, he let out a sweet perfume that calmed her and put her to rest. He then covered her with branches like a small roof so that bad weather would not disturb her, nor would he let the animals that strayed near her come too close. The following morning, the woman arrose to find that she had slept the full night.

"Why, great tree, you have but rested me, for which I know not how to thank you," she said. Taking a small knife, she carved a star into it. It did not hurt the Cedar, for he was used to animals crawling around him, and he appreciated the gesture. The woman went upon her way and found herself a new place to live in a distant land.

As Autumn began and the leaves of the trees began to change color, the Cedar observed a man walking through the forest. He was dressed very grandly but seemed to be on his own. The Cedar summised that this man of position had become lost during a hunt or journey, and was trying to find his way back home.

"Where shall I go?" the man asked of nobody in particular. "For there is no path to the village and I cannot wander around here much longer without water." The Cedzr, through his vast knowledge, knew of a stream closeby, but it was out of earshot for the man. Rusttling his leaves slightly, one of the animals that resided in him came out of its home.

"Go down to the man and get his attention. Lead him to the stream that he may drink."

"It shall be done," the animal, a squirrel, replied. It scrambled down the tree, over the man and pinched a compass from his belt. the man chased after him, thinking the animal a theift. But as he chased it, he was led to the stream, where the chipmunk left the compass and scurried into a tree. When the man had drunk his fill, he returned to the Cedar to try and find his barrings. Rusttling its leaves again, the Cedar caught the attention of a blackbird in its nest.

"Fly down to the man and get his attention, then lead him in the right direction to the village. For you, master of the sky, would know which direction to go." The Cedar looked at the blackbird, who gave a whistle in responce and then flew down to the man. Snatching his hat off his head, the blackbird flew in the direction of the village, still in sight of the man.

"This must be a tree of knowledge, for it has provided me with guides," the man said. Taking his knife, he carved a star into the Cedar next to the one it had previously, and then hurried off after the Blackbird, who led him to the path to the village.

Winter came, full of dark clouds that brought rain. As the days grew colder and darker, the Cedar knew not to expect peopleto come wandering in the woods. But one night, as clouds obscured the moon from sight, the tree heard the patter of feet coming through the woods. Although vague, it percieved two children wandering around, apparently lost. The children, tired and full of worry, settled under the great Cedar.

"We cannot run any further," one of them said.

"We shall be eaten for sure," replied the other.

"All we can do is climb this tree and hope for the best," the first said. The Cedar subtly moved its branches, making it easier for the children to get footholds until they were safe in it's tall branches. Just then, a pack of wolves came sniffing around. The Cedar let off its powerful scent, and the wolves could find no trace of the children they were in persuit of. Giving up, the wolves turned and went back into the woods.

"We are safe," the first child whispered.

"How did it happen?" the other inquired.

"This must be a tree of God, for he protects good children" the first answered. The Cedar released its scent again to lull the children to sleep, making sure they didn't fall from their pearch. The following morning, the children climbed down and marked the tree with two more stars, one for each of them.

Spring time came late, and while the Cedar and its neighbouring trees sprouted new lflowers, leaves and bark, the Cedar tree wondered what would become of him. It was true that he was much larger than he had ever been, and that sooner or later, someone would come to cut him down.

One evening, the tree was watching the sun set in the distance, when he heard two people, a man and a woman arguing in the distance, but still growing closer. The woman was clearly frightened, and she ran into the woods deeper still, until she came to the Cedar, quite out of breath. Soon the man caught up with her.

"Please, no!" she said.

"I shall teach you wench, not to disobey me," the man said. The Cedar saw the man take a knife and was getting reay to cut her, despite her best efforts to get away.

"Arise ants, crawl from my bark and stop this man whom would hurt this woman," the Cedar called. the ants, hearing the call of their home, arose at once and ran down the tree and headed for theman. Climbing up him and getting under his clothes, the man became quite irritated, and could not shake the ants off. As the ants bit into his legs and arms, he ran off, yelling in pain.

"Oh gracious," the woman said. "This tree must be a protector, for it was in its bark the ants resided," she exclaimed. Picking up the mans dropped knife, she carved into it the fifth star.

As spring continued, many people came to the tree to see the five stars carved into it. Some children said it was angels in the bark, while lovers who rested under the tree said it was heaven's light upon them. The Cedar, while happy with these pleseant thoughts, was still distressed. As summer rolled around again, the Cedar was met by men who planned to chop him down and use him for building. The Cedar was very upset to never stand inthe forest again and feel the beautiful warm sun upon its bark, nor the refreshing rain through it's leaves. The animals that resided in the tree soon left, wishing the tree every bit of luck and many thanks for housing them. Soon, the Cedar felt more alone. On the day the cutters came, the tree was almost ready to cry should it have been able to. But as the cutters started to swing their axes, an angelic vision of a woman in a green dress came forward, stepping across the tree-tops to the Cedar. The cutters could not see nor hear her, but her beauty had the trees attention.

"Fear not Cedar of the Five Stars. I am the messenger of Mother Earth, and have come to retrieve your soul. your brave and kind acts towards those in need have seen the spirit of your trunk spared to come with me." She explained. "Just sleep, for it will soon be time to go." The Cedar felt peace fill him as the cutters, not deep into his trunk, called out as the Cedar fell. As his trunk was fully detached and cut down, the spirit of the tree stood and looked at the woman in green who was waiting for him.

"Thank you," Cedar said.

"Take my hand Cedar of the Five Stars, and we shall go together." the woman replied with a kind smile. Taking her soft hand, Cedar was led into the woods, where his soul still resides to this day, helping young trees grow and protecting the grown trees. Very few tree souls are spared this way, but the Cedar guided the souls of fallen trees into the ground to grow again. And that jsut goes to show, that at the end of our lives, no matter who we are, we will be rewarded for our good deeds.


	11. The Foil Steals Away

**The Fencer in Black**

_Chapter One: The Foil Steals Away_

In France, many years ago, there was once a man known as Austin. Now this young man was very brave and very adventurous, but deep down, he was a very jealous man. Anything he could not have by means he took by force. What was well known of Austin was that he was a master fencer, but this skill he used against people who did not bow to his wishes.

It came to pass one day that Austin learned that a man in the village, Beau Roseman, was in possession of a very special ring. This hairloom was a giant ruby set amoungst seven diamonds that came from South Africa, while the ruby itself was form India. These stones were set into a gold ring that was never worn in public by Beau, but was often on display whenever he had a party or social gathering. needless to say, it was guarded very closely.

Austin, who ahd attended these parties often to gaze at the ring, knew how much he wanted it. He bargined with beau many times to Beau to sell it to him, but he refused. Austin grew very impatient about the matter, and soon became rather threatening, and offered to send his men to come and steal it from him. But each time he sent them, they were beaten up by Beau's own protectors.

Austin decided that this was enough, and that he would do the job himself. Dressed in his finest dark clothes and armed with a fencing foil, he stole into the night and headed towards the Roseman residence.

It was at this time that Roseman was putting his daughter, Avery, to sleep. He was very happy with his daughter, for she was very intelligent and well brought up. Though it was true that Beaus wife had died many years ago from great sickness, he still cared for his daughter more than any father could. Just as he finished tucking his daughter in, there was a loud crash from somewhere in the house. Beau, comforting his daughter to stay in bed, went to see what was the matter. Upon entering the main room, he saw three of his guards dead and Austin standing at the mantle, taking the ring from it's place upon the silk pillow. Beau turned to the nearby wall and drew his fencing foil.

"How dare you First you will not understand my not wushing to part with the ring, but now you wish to rob me of it? And you kill innocent men in the name of doing so? En Garde." Beau took up his stance. Austin smiled cruelly as he held up his foil. The two men circled each other for a moment, before Beau lunged, his foil moving quickly, but it was parryed by Beau, who swung quickly to try and cut Beau down, but he was counter-blocked. Beau moved again, stricking forward like an angry snake, but Austin was calm and collected, and could easily see the blows coming. Soon, he had become tired of the fight. When Beau tried another lunge attack, Austin side-stepped andsliced him across the back of the hand. The sting distracted Beau, and the foil in Austin's hand flashed across Beau's forehead. Beau straightened up and held his guard, but the stings and blood rolling into his eyes were too much. Austin, his job completed, managed to swing Beau's blade out of his hand and pierce his heart with the foil. Beau fell to the ground, blood spilling and his body not moving.

"A good show old man, but you simply don't have the skill to beat a master such as I," Austin said to the now dead Beau.

"Daddy?" came a voice, as Avery ran across the room and kneeled beside her father. Seeing him dead, she screamed loudly and looked up at Austin.

"I'm so sorry dear child, but your Father should have knwn better," Austin explained, not looking particulary sorry at all.

"Monster," she hissed at him.

"Am I now? Well, I do hope the rest of your upbringing is as easy as it has been. Good evening child," he said with a bow and walked out. Avery, not knowning what else to do, simply hugged her father's body and cried.

After a few days, Avery did not what to do with herself. She had lost both of her parents and now she was told she wa to go to a boarding school while her Aunt Anna, a very spiteful woman, intended to make the house her own, but could only do so through Avery, who had been willed the most of it. Sending her away was the only sure plan to make sure Anna could get the house and money of her brother.

Avery travelled through the town in a carriage that was to take her and some other girls away. As she travelled the streets, she saw Austin, and he waved at her in a very sweet but dark way. No one seemed to know that it was he who had killed her father, or else that hadn't dared to speak up or challenege him. This made ola very sad, and still worse was her being unable to attend her father's funeral. She had yelled at her Aunt, but she had recieved a slap across the cheek for it, and was sent to her room.

Avery swore, upon that very day, that she would find some way to bring about misery for those who had brought her so much.

Away in a distant town, Avery discovered that she was not welcome at her boarding school. The girls teased her and were very unkind. the teachers were not impressed by her and no one came near her unless they had to. It was during one of her after school hours in the courtyard that one of the teachers threw a paper in the bin and told her off for gawking that Avery decided to discover what was going on in the world. Taking the newspaper from the bin and reading it, she discovered many sad things, such as people being cruel to one another, selling and trading slaves and so forth. Avery also read of happier things, like children being born or carnivals that were in town, and she dreamed of one day seeing these shows for herself.

It then became habbit for her to find newspapers wherever she could and to read of the world beyond the walls of her school. She was careful not to be seen reading the paper, as most teachers didn't like the idea of these girls getting foolish notions of carnivals or street parades or the like.

It so happened that Avery, while she was reading and tying her long black hair behind her head, read of a fencing tournament in town. While the list of compeditors did not include Austin, she did read of one man who was well known for his skills and ability to teach others. Avery decided she had to see him on the night of the tournament.

On the night of the tournament, as the sun went down and the girls were sent to their rooms, Avery made sure to slip away form the prefect leading her and the others to their room. Sneaking through the large building and out into the grounds, she had only two things with her. One was a small necklace her father had given her for her last birthday, and the other was a small piece of red cloth she had managed to steal from the sewing room. Out in the yard, she quickly but quietly moved towards the gates, being ever careful of the prefects and teachers who were walking around. The gate was not locked yet, as there was evidently someone still to come back to the school, so Avery slipped out and disappeared into the night, hurrying towards town.

In town, it was a mass of moving crowds. Avery was careful not to be seen by anyone who might recognise her, and made her way to the hall where the tournament was taking place. As she arrived, she discovered she could not simply walk through the doors, as they were guarded and people going in or out had to present invitations. Sneaking around the side and being careful not to be seen, Avery found a window that looked into the hall where the fights were taking place. She instantly saw the man she was looking for, as he was standing to one side of the hall holding his mask in one hand and his foil in the other, resting.

Avery watched the full night long, as the man she was hoping to speak to fought and won his fights, eventually claiming second place. he seemed to graciously acept his loss to the now champion, and then turned and headed for the back of the building. Hoping her chance had come, Avery stole to the back entrance, where she hoped it would be more deserted. Sure enough, when she got there, the man was by himself, waiting.

"Excuse me?" she called to the man.

"What have we here?" he asked, looking down at her.

"Forgive me sir, but I seek you to teach me fencing," Avery answered.

"A young girl like you wants to learn how to fence?" the man asked.

"Please Sir Damien, I beg your indulgence in this matter, for I have little else for my life," Avery responded.

"Dear child, if you wish for me to teach you, you will have to prove yourself," Damien responded. He took up a blunt foil and passed it to her. Avery took the foil correctly from him and armed herself. She then demonstrated what her father had taught her. Damien, while impressed with her skill for her age, was still not convinced.

"What is your real motive for wishing to learn fencing? Be honest with me now or I shall not even consider it," Damien said, holding up a finger.

"To avenge my Father who was murdered by a man of great fencing skill," Avery said. "And to teach my spiteful Aunt that my Father was a bettr man than she shall ever be."

"Do you mean to kill them?" Damien asked.

"My Aunt shall certainly not be killed, for she is still family, but the killer of myfather will die at my foil and no other, and it shall be a slow death," she answered, her eyes going as black as her words.

"I will teach you if you seek me out," Damien answered. "Here is a clue. When the moon is full and over head, in a place that is more alive and dead, my foil does flash upon the stone, in a place I practice alone." Damien handed her the riddle and then bid her good evening. Avery, not to be discouraged, followed him quietly to his carraige and tied the red ribbon around the back of one of the wheels so it was out of sight. She then returned to the school, where she was harshly punished for being outside the boundries well after curfew.

Avery waited a long time before she dared to wander out of the school again. The prefects and techers had been told to keep an eye on her, and so getting away was difficult. But finally, on the night of a full moon, she discovered that she had been left alone as the prefects had gone to some sort of party in their own rooms. Avery, with very careful movements, found her way into the yard and to a distant corner where a tree grew, overhanging the fence. Climbing it and landing on the other side, she slipped into town again and then to where she had learned the cemitary to be. She knew this was the answer, and sure enough, when she got there, Damien was training himself with the stones of old tombs as places to dance around and move swiftly. Avery watched him as he moved, never tripping or missing a shot. Finally, when he stopped to rest, she revealed herself.

"What have we here? A young girl. Whatever are you doing child?" Damien asked.

"Do you not remember me from the tournament only three moons ago?" she asked.

"No, I do not," Damien answered.

"I asked you to teach me, and I told you of my Aunt and my father's killer. Surely you recall?" Avery begged.

"Dear child, enough nonsense, I have no recollection of you," he said, moving towards his coach.

"I will prove you to be lying," Avery said.

"Try it then, little girl," Damien said.

"Behind the wheel of your carriage is a red ribbon I tied there on the night of the tournament. See that it is still there, with mud on it from the rain and discoloring from age." Avery waited as Damien searched, and found the ribbon.

"Very clever Avery, you have proven yourself," Damien replied, conceating his defeat. "Come into my carriage and we shall be away." Avery, not waiting to be told, climbed into the carriage and they disappeared down the road and into the night.

For many years, the name Avery Roseman meant little to anyone. Upon discovering her absense from the school and being unable to find her anywhere, they had written to her Aunt that she had run away and could not be found if she did not return home. Aunt Anna, none the worse for this, settled down in her new home and enjoyed her freedom of her wretched niece.

The school soon forgot her too, and she simply became another name in the records of students who attended and ran off, like so few tried and fewer succeeded. Austin also quite forgot Avery, thinking his theft of the ring and of Beau's life was enough to drive her to madness and never see her return.

But Avery was well hidden from the world. Damien had taught her everything about fencing he could possibly teach. He forbade her to travel with him when he went away to tournaments and not to reveal herself to visitors but one, a friend of his who often came by to help him with things around the house. Her name was Renee, and she was in charge of looking after Avery in Damin's absense, and Avery was quite fond of both of them.

When Avery was eighteen, she went to Renee and asked that she make her a suitable set of garments for fencing in, but to be made of black. Renee did this and soon, Avery was dressed. She wore black boots and pants fastened with a belt with a gold clasp. Around her waist fell a piece of black material that covered one leg and most of her behind like a split dress, and a black skvii to finish the outfit. Around her neck, where it always stayed, was the necklace her father had given her.

Avery was now very ready to face the world, and her first challenge was at the local tournament.


	12. The Blade Lures Love

_Chapter Two: The Blade Lures Love_

Avery arrived at her first tournament dressed in her black clothing and entered, presenting her invitation.

"Welcome madam," the man at the door said. "Compeditors are to talk to the man at the desk to the right," he explained. Avery went inside and over to the desk.

"May I see your invitation?" the man at the desk asked. Avery presented it. "What name shall I put you down for?" he asked.

"Madam Clandestin," Avery applied.

"Very well Madam Clandestin. Please wait over there and I shall announce who you are up against shortly. You will be presented with a blunt foil ,o,emtarally." Avery made her way over to the area indicated and took a drink from the passing servant. She drank lightly and watched as other compeditiors arrived.

"Goodevening ma'am," said a voice. Avery turned and looked at a man standing next to her.

"Good evening sir," Avery answered politely.

"Are you here to observe?" he asked, his dark brown hair shifting as he smiled at her.

"No, I am here to partisipate," Avery replied.

"Partisipate?" the man asked. "How very interesting. A rare sight indeed to see a female fencer. My name is Acel."

"Madam Clandestin," Avery replied, not wishing to reveal her true identity to anyone.

"A pleasure Madam Clandestin. I hope you do well," Acel replied.

"To you too, Acel," Avery said. Acel kissed her hand lightly and walked off, his heart fluttering at the thought of Madam Clandestin.

As the tournament progressed, many people were sure Madam Clandestin would not be successful, and didn't give her any credit for her victories. But soon, their minds were changed as she reached the finals and got ready to take on the popular Acel, the champion of the previous year.

"En garde," Acel said, looking at her in all seriousness, but his emotions running away with his mind. He could not resist the mysterious woman in black, but the fight soon proved both of them were very evenly matched. Neither Avery nor Acel could hit each other. Finally, Avery managed to trick him and landed the winning shot, claiming to her the victory of not only the fight, but the tournament. People were shocked.

"Very well played Madam Clandestin," Acel said.

"And very well done to you, Sir Acel," Avery answered.

"Would you allow me to buy you a drink to toast your celebration?" Acel asked.

"Only one, for I must be off home shortly," Avery answered. Acel passed her a wine and then held up his own.

"To victory," he toasted.

"To victory," Avery answered, clinking her glass to his. For once in her ten years of training, the eighteen year old Avery felt her heart this man. She didn't know what these feelings were, but she drank her drink while talking casually with Acel until her dirnk was finished.

"Well Acel, I do hope we will meet agian, but the time has come for me to fly," she said.

"Please, will I ever see you again?" Acel asked.

"If not at another fencing tournament elsewhere, then here in one year," Avery repleid.

"So it shall be," Acel replied as he led her to the carriage out the back where Renee was waiting for her. Upon their return to Damien's house outside of town, she showed him the money she had won.

"Well done Avey, and now it is time for you to travel and find your way in the world." Damien said.

"I am sorry to go dear Damien, but the time has come. And thank you Renee for all your help." Avery thanked them. The next morning, Avery, on a horse with some clothing packed and a proper foil and rode away. Avery took her plan to action. Avery travelled from town to town, entering into many fencing competitions of both blunt and sharp nature, and won her way around Frnace. It is true she took some very deep cuts during some fights, and sometimes did not win at all, but everywhere she brandished her foil, it became quite clear that this was a woman of some skill.

Eventually, she ran into Acel again.

"Madam Clandestin, how good it is to see you again. Mind you, I have heard of your many victories. I do hope you know what you are doing with all this attention," he advised.

"I beleive I do," Avery answered.

"And what a scar you have on your arm," Acel notioned upon her.

"Well, it was nothing much. The man certianly paid for damaging me. Now, why are you at this tournament?" Avery inquired.

"I was following your trail of success, and I discovered that you were going to come here. So here I am to see you again," Acel explained.

"Well, my plan is coming to fruition, but I must ask of you one thing," Avery begged.

"You will need to beat me again before I say yes," Acel told her. "But nevertheless, I will hear your request."

"I ask you not to partisipate in any tournament that Lord Taylor Jewell and I will participate in. There is something I need to settle with him," Avery said.

"I will consider it if you shall beat me," Acel replied.

Just at that moment, Avery was summoned to her next fight. Taking her blunted foil, she pointed it at her opponent and held up her left hand.

"En Garde," She called.

And so the tournament proceeded until again, Acel and Avery were in the finals and facing each other. Again, their foils clashed, but Acel was taken in again by her striking looks and black clothing. Avery was able to over-power him and won the fight.

"You have lost the fight, keep your promise to me Acel," Avery said when they had collected their winnings and stopped for a drink.

"I will. But your request makes me wonder who you are. Madam Clandestin. After all, I can only assume the name is a ruse and that you are actually someone else." Acel looked at her as she lowered her gaze.

"I cannot tell you, for I do not wish for him to know," Avery explained.

"I understand," Acel said.

The next day, Acel rode off towards the town where Taylor lived. Asking around, he found out quite a bit about Taylor. However, while he was making his inquiries, Taylor heard of the man who was asking about him and decided to pay him a visit.

In the middle of the night, Taylor took off towards the Inn where Acel was staying and snuck into his room. Pointing a foil at Acel, he questioned him on his interests. Acel did his best to lie his way around the truth and eventually convinced him that he was simply getting an idea on one of the best fencers in France. Taylor took this story for the moment and left. The next day, Acel found a place in town to hide as he watched Taylor prepare to hold a tournament.

Several days later, Avery came back to her home town upon hearing of Taylor's challenge to find a better fencer than himself, be it man or woman. The winner was to recieve anything they wished from Taylor. He knew this would draw out some truth to the mysterious man Acel.

Avery signed up to the tournament under her usual alias and read the rules of the fight. Sure enough, there were to be three fights every day, each taking on Taylor with a sharpened foil and the winner got the item they wished for. In knowing she could get her father's ring back, Avery signed up.

"Good day Ma'am," came a voice as Avery signed her papers.

"Good day. You must be Taylor Jewell, our benifactor and champion," Avery said.

"Indeed I am. And who might you be?" he asked, seeing her dark beauty.

"I am Lady Clandestin. I hope you will be gracious enough to show me around," she said, presenting her hand, albeit resentfully, for him to kiss. Taking her arm, and having no idea she was the little girl he had orphaned so many years ago, he led her about the house. Seeing the many things she knew he had either stolen or claimed from blackmail, until she saw the ring that had been her father's.

"Well Madam, I must be on my way, but do feel free to stop by," Taylor said.

"I have some things to do while here in town," Avery said, and then bid her fairwells. She got upon her horse and rode out to her old home and looked about from a distance. Sure enough, her wicked Aunt still lived there. Avery could see that little had changed in her many years away, and that tonight was the night she would take back her home.

As the sun set, Avery dressed her black fencing gear and set off on foot to the house of her father. Upon her arrival, she saw that there were guards posted at most of the doors, but there was one way in she could still manage, and that was one of the servant's entries. Sneaking into the kitchen, Avery made her way towards the office and searched it. She knew her Aunt's love of keeping things to remind her of her wicked ways, and so she had kept the original will. Taking it, she put it in her pocket and went to where her Aunt was sure to be resting. Sneaking into the living area, there she sat spinning her yarn and humming to herself.

"Good evening Stella," she said, drawing her foil. The old woman nearly jumped out of her skin at the unexpected speaker.

"Great heavens, who are you? And who do you think you are, sneaking into my house?" Stella snapped, having regained her composure.

"Who did you think you were to take it?" Avery asked, stepping into the light.

"I took nothing," Stella replied.

"You used your brother's death to claim his fortune and possessions. And now I am here to take them back," Avery pointed her foil.

"I don't understand," Stella whimpered at the sight of the sharpened foil.

"Do I not look familiar to you Stella? Or should I say, Aunt Stella?" Avery scowled. Stella's jaw dropped and she took several steps backward.

"Avery? It cannot be!" Stella shrieked.

"But it can. I have the will that states everything belongs to me," Avery held it up. Stella leaned forward as if to take it, but one swish of her foil and she backed off.

"What do you want Avery?" Stella asked.

"I want you to stay in your room and if anyone asks, you are housing me while I await my turn to duel Taylor Jewell. When I defeat him and kill him, I shall have you kicked out of this house, never to return. If you so much as try to stop me, I shall slit your throat and leave you for dead." And so it was that Avery hid at her old home. All the servants beleived that Avery was merely a guest and that she would leave in the near future.

After a few days, Taylor summoned her to duel. No one had yet defeated him and Avery was determined to be the first. Leaving the house, she rode to the manor of Taylor Jewell and was met with politness form the servants and attendants. The people gathered around as both Avery and Taylor took their positions.

"What is it you will take with you should you win?" a judge asked.

"I will take the ring of the Roseman family," Avery answered.

"How do you know?" Taylor asked.

"Figure it out! En Garde!" Avery said, her stance wide and her blade pointed after it swished dangerously in the air. Taylor, worried on who his opponent really was, took up his stance. Avery jumped forward, her foil flashing quickly and dangerously leaving Taylor very little time to plan his next defence before Avery struck again. Finally, he found a way to switch and began his offensive movement. Avery was far too fast for him, and soon she was attacking again. Taylor stepped sideways and tried to strike Avery to the side, but she ducked out of the way. There were two quick slices from her foil, but Taylor also dodged. Finally, they clashed blades and both stepped forward and looked at each other closely.

"Who are you?" he whispered.

"Someone you owe," Avery answered before pushing him backwards and slicing forward quickly. She then turned to one side and lowered her defense. Taylor went to attack, but the movement caused him pain, and he saw that he had been cut across the chest twice with a large X.

"You lose," Avery said.

"We do indeed have a winner." the judge called as he stepped toward Avery. Taylor growled his fury at having lost. He stood up and walked over towards one of his servants.

"Follow her wherever she goes until you know who Madam Clandestin is. There is something familiar about her." The servant did as he was told and followed her. As the ring was given to Avery, she placed it upon her finger and it glinted in the light.

"I, Avery Roseman do hereby take back all that is mine from Taylor Jewell, the killer of my father and theift of this family ring." Holding up her hand, she showed it to all. Everyone knew at once that she told the truth, for they could see Beau Roseman in her features and the ring they knew of him to possess. Before anyone could say or do anything, Taylor had disappeared through a passageway from the instant he heard Avery's real name.

The day ended in some confusion, but Avery returned to her home in fine spirits and before the sun was down had sent her Aunt on her way.

Shortly there after, there came a knock at the door, and one of the servants showed in Acel.

"So, you are really Avery Roseman, the girl who disappeared so many years ago," he said, stepping into the room.

"I thought I had asked you to stay away?" Avery asked.

"I was here long before you were, to discover what was going on. Taylor nearly killed me for it, but I managed to avoid his wrath."

"But you disobeyed me. I asked you to stay away so Taylor Jewell can't use you as a weapon against me. I have stirred the fire to burning point. He will come after me with a vengence and you will not be able to stop him," Avery explained. "It will most likely be a duel to the death and nothing will stop him."

"But there is something I want from you now," Acel said. "Even if it isn't forever."

"I will hear your request," Avery answered.

"I want you to marry me," Acel said, falling to one knee. Avery, expecting almost anything but that, was stunned. "I've loved you since I saw you Madam Clandestin, and even though I now know you are Avery Roseman, it changes nothing for me. Please marry me, so that we can be together, in life and death."

"Let me think about it," Avery said. She turned to the fire she had been stoking and poked it about a bit.

"Please Avery, I love you more than I can say," Acel continued.

"Please Acel, give me some time." And for the night, Avery wandered the house, considering the proposal.


	13. The Saber's last Rattle

A/N: I know this is a short chapter, and reflects muchly on the movie Rob Roy, but I thought it was a good way to end this story.

_Chapter Three: The Blade's Last Rattle_

After a week, Acel and Avery made their way down to the church to where their marraige was confirmed and legalised. It was quite an affair in town as many people wished to welcome Avery back and ask of her adventures in the years she had been absent. But during this time, Taylor, who had full knowledge of all that was going on, took this time to strike.

While Avery and Acel were at the Inn drinking and Merry-making, Taylor and his men slipped from their hiding place and headed out to the Roseman Manor and burned it to the ground. When Avery and Acel returned, they discovered their home destroyed, and very few things could be recovered. Avery flew into a passion, taking up what she could find form the ruins was her ring and the foil of her father, sharp and pointed.

"What shall we do?" Acel asked.

"I will find Taylor and kill him," Avery said. She turned back to the carriage they had arrived and cut one of the horses free.

"Where will I find you?" Acel asked.

"I will return to the Inn tonight," Avery answered flatly before riding off.

As Acel was returning to the Inn, Taylor put his plan into action. He and his men jumped Acel and carried him off to a private fencing provillian and sent one of his men to leave a message for Avery at the Inn.

"Now that we understand each other Acel, we won't have any arguments," Taylor said dryly.

"She will kill you," Acel shot back, which earned him a hard slap to the face.

"Don't forget your manners Acel," Taylor told him like you would a petulant child. "You are in no position to threaten me."

All day, Avery searched all of Taylor's lands and properties, but found no trace of him. Returning to the Inn, she asked for Acel, but the Inn-keeper told her that he was not here, but a message was waiting for her. Opening the letter, she read it's short note. Crumpling it up and throwing it into the fire, Avery stormed out to her horse and rode directly to the fencing provillian. Sure enough, upon her arrival, she was surrounded by Taylor's men and led inside.

"Ah, at last Avery, I was beginning to think you had missed your note and not your husband," Taylor welcomed coyly.

"Don't threaten me Taylor, this has nothing to do with him," Avery scowled.

"If you insist," Taylor replied. With a fast whip and slash of his fencing foil, the throat of Acel was cut and he died on the spot. Avery gasped in shock.

"Now that we have both taken from each other what we can't get back, it is time to bring this story of your revenge to a conclussion. It will be with your death at the hands of either my men or me," Taylor offered. Willing to prove herself move for move, Avery's foil flashed and whipped brilliantly as she cut down the men surrounding her.

"You and me," she said, rage and tears mixing together. From her dress she took a knife and ripped the side so that it was more loose around her, then ripped it so it was shorter in length.

"En Garde Avery, to the death," Taylor called, pointing his foil.

"Toche Taylor, let it be yours," Avery answered. Like their first encounter, she jumped forward and sliced out, but Taylor had predicted this, stepped aside and sliced her on the hip. It wasn't much, but the sting was still in place. Retaking her position, she waited for Taylor to attack first, which he did, but he used a much more speedy and nibble attack, which she found difficult to defend against. Finally, Taylor passed her defense and cut her stomach. This cut was a lot more painful, and this was distracting for Avery. She took up her stance one more time, she started with a slower attack that was difficult to predict, and she managed to hold Taylor at bay but not able to hit him, and finally the slow blood loss and pain got to her, and Taylor got in two more quick slashes. Avery was on her knees in too much pain to continue. Taylor, a smile of victory on his lips, held her chin up with his foil as he got ready to slit her throat.

"To the end," he said.

"So it will be," Avery answered. In one daring move, her hand grabbed the sharp foil and pulled Taylor forward, her foil flying up and hitting him in the chest. He had enough time to look down and see what she had done before the blade came out and sliced his throat open. Taylor fell to the floor, dead and unmoving.

Avery, without a single tear, stood up and went over to where her dead husband now lay. She kissed him on the forehead as a means of goodbye. She then walked out of the pervillion and was never heard of again.

Some say Avery went into the forest and killed herself, unable to live a life without meaning or her love. Others say she changed her name and continued to fence in other parts of Europe, always changing her name, but still with the name of Clandestin or something close to it. One other rumour persisted that she lived in the mountains, always training with her foil and teaching or killing those who came near her, depending on their skill, but one thing was for certain; while one person left that building that night and rode away into the night, Avery Austi died with her husband.


	14. Percy's Feast

A/N: Another oneshot fic to be sure, but I wanted to write something simple and with an assumed backgorund. I drew inspiration for this story from the tarot card 'Nine of Cups' which is also known as 'the wish card.'

I named the guardian after my Mother, Alma, for she ahs always looked after me in my life, and I lvoe her dearly. A story for you Mum.

**Percy's Feast**

Once upon a time there lived a jolly man named percy and his wife Nancy. Now while neither Percy nor Nancy had any great titles or splendid things to their name, the lived a very good life. Percy worked hard as a chef and his wife was his kitchen hand, and every day people came to their little shop to eat their food. There was nothing Percy enjoyed more than serving his guests and his wife enjoyed entertaining them with her skills on the fiddle.

It then came to the ear of the King of Percy and his wonderful cooking, so he summoned Percy and his wife to the Palace to cook for him and his family.

"It would be a pleasure and an honour," Percy said, and he and his wife set off for the Palace. Whn they met the King, he was taken in by Nancy's pretty details, although she was in her mid forties, and Percy's big build.

"My dear fellow," the King addressed him, "They tell me that there is no man in the world that can cook quite like you can, is that true?" the King asked.

"Indeed it is said," Percy answered, "that I have served many a splendid meal, but I do not think that I am the best cook in the world," percy answered jovilly.

"Nonsense my good man," the King replied. "I would like you to prepare dinner for me and my family. We will eat whatever it is you serve us, and my whole kitchen staff will be at your beck and call. Should your meal be satisfactory, I will give three bushels of money. If not, then I will have you sent from the village." The King then showed Percy and his wife the three bushels, and they agreed. So for the rest of the day, percy and nancy got a good idea of what the King, Queen, Princes and Princess liked to eat, and prepared the very best of those meals. Sure enough, when the dinner was served and the royal family saw what delicious options they had before them, they began eating while Nancy took up her fiddle and played.

When all was eaten, the wine drank and the evening drawing to a close, the King thanked Percy and gave him the money.

"I will call upon your services again good man," the King said, "for there is no one who can cook like that except my own chef."

'"Thank you my Lord," Percy and Nancy said, both feeling pleased with themselves but also a little mebarrassed ad such flattery. So the two of them returned to their home and had a wonderful night discussing what it was that they would do with the money. It was fnally decided th replace everything in their kitchen so that it was brand new and clean, and the have all the furniture in the public area fixed or replaced so that the customers could be more comfortable. The rest of the money was put aside for a rainy day.

A few weeks after serving the King and Queen, a messanger came down to Percy's shop and sked that he go straight to the Palace, for the King had some grave business to discuss with him. Percy, wondering what the fuss was about, headed straight to the palace. When he met his Majesty, he saw him in much distress.

"My Lord, what is the matter, if it isn't to bold to ask?" Percy inquired as he bowed deeply.

"Oh, percy, it is terrible. We have lost our chef to sickness and we have many guests coming to a feast in three days. All the foods they have ordered and requested and no one in the castle but our old chef knew how to cook them. We need your help, for you are the only man left who might know how to cook these things."

"Fear not my Lord," percy said. "For I shall cook these meals, or something very close to them that your guests shall have nothing to complain about. Present to me the lsit of things I should cook, and Nancy and I shall begin work tomorrow," Percy explained. The King, feeling releaved, took up a long list of meals and presented it to him. Percy read it over.

"This is indeed a challenge worthy of anyone who can cook, for there are many things on this list that appear, but nevertheless, I will not fail you your Majesty," Percy said, and he then returned home to tell Nancy about what they had been asked to do.

"My goodness dear, some of these things are difficult, and we do not have the means to make them neither here nor there," Nancy exclaimed.

"Let us go back to the palace and see what they have and what we must get," Percy answered. He sent a message to the Palace and then he and Nancy shut up shop early.

Once in the kitchen, they searched all the shelves and made a list of everything they could need and took it to the King.

"I will have my people find these things for you before the sun goes down tomorrow," he said, and summoned all his servants to search for the things on the list.

With two days to go, Percy and Nancy had made the beginnings of a feast. When all the servants returned. There were three things missing; the peach of the western fields, a red apple from a tree with gold leaves and a pear from the nest of a peacock.

"Where will we find these things in such short time?" The King disppaired.

"Well your majesty," Percy began, "have you a pet peacock here in the Palace?" percy asked.

"Yes, there are three," the King answered.

"Then take a pear from the garden and place it in the nest of the biggest male peacock there, and there it must sit for one day and not move. After this, the pear will have changed color to represent that of the peacock's bloom."

"So it shall be," the King said, and called for the tender of the peacocks and instructed him.

"The peach from the western fields must be retrieved from the edge of your kingdom. this dish, which is from a land far out to the west, can only be made from a peach that grows in the west. It is simply the way the dish is done. A peach from anywhere else simply ruins the taste."

Instantly the king sent for his councilors, and they found the place where the most western peaches of the kingdom were grown, and men were sent that night to retrive them.

"Lastly, the red apple from the tree of golden leaves is the most difficult to retrieve. I will have to go myself on the swiftest of your horses to the east to retrieve it," percy said.

"Very well. How long until you can return?" The King asked.

"I will be back a few hours before the feast, and do not fear, for Nancy shall cook the finest meals for the feast, for if I do not know how, she will, but I need a red ruby to get the apple." Percy reassured the King. The King sent for the swiftest of his horses and Percy took of immediutely, taking with him three bushels of money and the ruby. headed to the east. Upon the evening of the next day, without sleep nor rest, Percy reached the garden in which the tree of golden leaves was planted.

"Greetings sir," said a man at the edge of the garden.

"Greetings man in red," Percy said. knowing full well who guarded the garden.

"What brings you here this day?" asked the man.

"I am seeking the green apple from the silver tree," Percy answered. He knew that the Man in Red would only let you pass if you lied, for he saw and knew all.

"Welcome to the garden. proceed with caution," the man said.

Percy proceeded into the garden, which was so vast that you could not see the end of it for many a mile. When Percy had made it to the middle of the garden, a figure jumped out of a tree and stepped him.

"Halt sir, for what business have you here?" asked the figure.

"Greetings Mischief. I seek a prize from the earth," Percy answered, knowing full well that Mischief would not take a proper answer.

"I will let you pass if you can answer my riddle, or else I will take your gold for my prize." Mischief exclaimed, seeing the three bags of money hanging from percy's belt.

"Give me your riddle," Percy called.

"What is older than Adam if he were alive, but cannot go past four weeks old?" Mischief asked. Percy thought for a few moments, for he had not heard this riddle before.

"It is the moon," he finally answered. "For it has been in the sky since God created the earth, and the cycle of the moon lasts four weeks." Percy looked at Mischief who grew rather angry and then ran off into the trees.

Percy continued into the garden by the light of a torch he had until he came across a woman dressed in purple with a crown of flowers.

"Greetings percy, you have come to pick an apple form my tree," she said.

"Hello Alma, indeed I have come to take an apple form the tree of golden leaves."

"What have you to give me for this apple?" she asked.

"I present my lady with two bags of money and a large ruby to allow my passage to the tree and to pick the apple." Percy said.

"And your gift I accept," Alma said, taking the money and the ruby. From a bag in her belt, she took some dust and threw it on the ruby, which started to glow. She then went herself and from the tree she took an apple and replaced it with the ruby, which turned into a beautiful flower.

"Thank you Alma, for it is your gift that shall please my King," Percy said with a respectful bow to the Lady of the Woods. She nodded her head, indicating she had bid him farewell. Returning to the trees, he once again ran into Mischief.

"The Stars," Mischief said, giving him answer.

"What will come tonight without being fetched, and tomorrow be lost without being stolen?" Percy answered. Mischief, given a riddle to his answer.

Percy reached the edge of the woods, and stopped to see the man in Red.

"Where are you going, good sir?" he asked.

"To a pigsty to strangle a chicken," Percy answered. "And farewell." Percy raced off quickly and although tired, managed to return to the palace before the afternoon of the feast.

"How was your venture?" the King asked upon Percy's return.

"I have the apple of the tree of golden leaves. Have the pear and peach been retrieved?" asked Percy as he held up what was the reddest apple anyone had ever seen.

"Here is the peacock pear," said the king, holding up a shiny pear of deep blue. Percy took it and went to the kitchen to give them to Nancy, who had not slept in getting ready for the feast.

"Here is the apple my dear," Percy said, and he set it down upon the table.

"It is as beautiful as the last time we went after one, although I am sure that your journey was a lot less painful," Nancy said, admiring the apple.

"Yes indeed, Alma has remained as beautiful as the trees she protects," Percy exclaimed.

"And you also have the pear from a peacock's nest," Nancy exclaimed. "But where is the peach of the eastern fields?" Nancy asked.

"It has not yet arrived," Percy said. "We need to be ready in case it does not," he continued, and racked his mind for a dish that might replace the one he was meant to cook. But try though he might, he could not think of anything.

At last, the guests assembled in the dinning room, Percy, nancy and a hoast of other servants began presenting the dishes to the guests. There were many hungry faces and dazzled expressions as soups of many kinds, as well as breads and other entrees were presented. The people began to eat, but still the messangers who had gone for the pear did not show.

"This is most delicious," said the gusts. "You must have searched far and wide for the right type of pear to make this entree," the people exclaimed.

"It was nothing," percy answered.

Soon, it was time for the fish course, and many types of fish from flounder to whyting to lobster and crab were served. There was much discussion at this point of wanting the people who had cooked these great dishes to come to their kingdoms and realms to cook for them.

"These meats are cooked correctly and to perfection," the people said. "How do you do it?" they all wanted to know.

"It is a special secret," Percy answered with a smile. But still, the peach had not arrived. Percy had begun working on a peach pie, should he have no other choice.

Next was the main course, and meats, vegetables, potatoes and many other sides were placed upon the table and before anyone could ask what was in the gravy, people were serving themselves and eating, and not a word was spoken as people continued to eat.

Just as the people were given a short break between their main and dessert, the peach was delivered to the kitchen. It shined like the sun and was so tempting to take a bite out of to see how jiucy it was. Percy and nancy set to work very quickly to finish the dessert it was intended for, and just as it went into the oven, it came time to serve dessert. Taking the apple pie that the apple form the tree of golden leaves was plucked from, along with many other dishes, Percy and nancy wheeled the trolleys of food out and began to place them upon the table.

"Where is the peach dessert?" a guest cried. "I shall have nothing else but it, for there is nothing I like more than peach," she snapped at Percy.

"Forgive me madam, but the dessert is still cooking, but I promise that it shall be as sweet as you have ever tasted," Percy answered her bowing.

"It had better be, lest I have your right hand for this," she scowled, before sitting and pouting.

Percy raced back to the kitchen and was just in time to take out the peach dessert and let it stand for a few moments. But before he could serve it, there was a knock at the servants entry, and whom should be standing there but Alma, the guardian of the trees.

"What is this, some trickery?" Percy exclaimed in shock.

"No trick dear Percy, for you have a most mischevious guest in your midst. I have come to teach her a lesson," Alma answered, before walking over to the pie and, as she had done to the ruby, sprinkled some of her magical dust over the top. Before Percy could ask what or where, Alma walked out the door, and Percy had no choice but to serve the bespelled pie to the kings guest, and hoped it was indeed one in the same,. However, when he reached the dinning room, he could not go near the angry woman, so he asked of nancy to serve her, and she did so.

"What is this upon my dessert?" she asked, seeing the darkened flecks of dust.

"It is cinnamon," Percy answered. "It is to enhance the taste of your beloved peach," Percy answered.

"Will it now?" asked the woman. She took a large slice of the dessert and gobbled it down rather quickly, it was almsot like magic. Licking her lips, the woman was about to have another slice, when suddenly she felt something upset in her stomach, and decided against it.

That night, Percy did not sleep, for he was not sure what trickery the guardian of trees had played. In the early morning, he was summoned before the King.

"What trickery is this?" he asked, leading Percy to what was a large tree in his garden.

"I do not understand my Lord," Percy answered.

"This was the young lady that was served the peach dessert, and now she is a tree. Explain yourself!" the King demanded.

"I cannot, except to say that I served the dessert as I would have done anyone else," Percy explained.

"This cannot be true," the King exclaimed.

"But it is," said a voice, and out from behind the tree stepped Alma. "I bespelled the pie to teach this horrid woman a lesson. She has cut down many trees in my beautiful garden, and she has robbed my precious trees of many things," she explained. "And now she must return the favor. She will grow many fruits and flowers, all of which you may use frely in your court and meals. When her debt is paid, the tree will wither and die, and she will be free, perhaps a little less selfish for the wear." She turned to Percy. "And dearest Percy, who has helped me, shall have a tree just like it at his house, and it shall bloom the year long, for I never met anyone who could cook my fruit into something as tasty as that peach dessert," she said.

"Then let that tree grow here in the castle," the King exclaimed, "for I am moving Percy and nancy here to work for me." And so it was that Percy and nancy moved the castle to cook for the king, his family and many guests. Alma grew the tree she had promised in the castle grounds, and every day of the year it bore the most beautiful flowers or tasty fruits.

Percy and Nancy, now retired, have taught people how to cook their great meals, but have sworn off going to the garden in the east, for it is too far to travel, and they did not wish to upset Alma, their friend, but live peacefully until the end of their days, which they did.


	15. The Enchanted Harp or The Bony Swans

A/N: Hi everyone, I know it's been a while since I posted here, but I finally got a few things on my computer fixed, got some time to type a story out and had something to write about.

I did say I was going to be doing some song fics, and here is another. Once again, music by the wonderful Loreena Mckennitt in her rendition of the story 'The Bony Swans.' A story without the happiest of endings, but still there is some gratitude. Saying too much now. All rights to Loreena McKennitt, the lyrics are not mine. I have removed some stanzas so I am not using the full song. It is highly recommended you find it and listen to it, or at least look up the full lyrics.

I had a review. I had a review from someone who doesn't understand the definition of a retelling. Yes I know my stories are not original, and I said that in my introduction. And if you want a full answer to this negativity, you can find one there.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy my story/retelling as it took some time and effort to try and fill in a few plot holes. Believe e, they weren't as easy as I make it out.

'**The Enchanted Harp' or 'The Bony Swans'**

_A framer lived in the North Country,_

_Hey hey oh with my bony oh,_

_He had daughters one, two, three,_

_The swans swim so bony oh._

Once upon a time there lived a framer in the northern end of Ireland, and while he was a widower, he had three beautiful daughters; Anne the eldest, Melissa the middle child, and Jane the youngest. The three daughters lived a very happy life together. Anne would do the chores of the house while Jane and Melissa would do work in the fields with their father or tend to the animals of the farm.

It was on one warm afternoon that Jane and Melissa were out in the fields with their sister Anne when the Prince and his hunting party came riding by, having taken a wrong turn. They saw upon their way the three women sitting and eating their lunch, and thought it best to stop and ask where he was at.

"Excuse me, fair maidens," the Prince said upon arriving. "Myself and my hunting party have lost our way, and we hoped you aught tell us where we are."

"Oh most certainly your highness," Jane said with a bow. "You aren't far from your kingdom at all. Follow the road that you shall find a short distance to the east. When you get to the road you but turn left and keep going. At the fork in the road, you will need to turn right to find your city, or turn left to head towards the forests to resume your hunt."

"Yes your highness," Anne said. "Or you could go a little beyond the road to find the river and from there you can follow that back to the castle by going upstream."

"If your majesty wishes to continue hunting," Melissa added, "You may simply head north of here, for you will follow the road at a distance and come to the forest anyway."

The prince had heard all this, but from the moment Jane had stopped speaking, he had fallen in love with her, for she was indeed the most beautiful of the three, her golden hair shimmering in the sunlight and her fair complexion that to stop any man's heart. He thanked the ladys with a few coins and went on his way, but he returned every day to catch sight of his new love.

Now Prince William (for that was his name) had a brother named Hugh, and Hugh often wondered where his brother went each day, so he asked if he might come along.

"Of course my brother, for I shall not hide anything from you." William led Hugh to the farm and pointed out the three women. Hugh saw the beauty in all three, but Jane did not capture hs heart so much as she did Williams.

Soon after, the Prince approached his parents, the King and Queen, and asked if he could wed the beautiful farm girl he had seen.

"If she is whom you desire, than we shall get thing prepared at once," the King said. He then organised a small group of Page boys, maidens and his sons to go and see the three women and ask their father for permission to take the fair Jane as William's wife.

"Of course you may," the father answered at once, being overjoyed that his daughter would have captured the prince's heart. Jane, Melissa and Anne jumped for joy at the news, but Anne was secretly envious of the courtship, as she wanted William for herself.

_His daughters they walked by the river's brim,_

_Hey hey ho with me bony oh,_

_The eldest pushed the youngest in,_

_The Swans swim so bony oh._

The next day, the sisters wet for a walk down to the river to talk about the engagement and what life would be like for them after the wedding. It was certain all three of them would be looked after, and their father would no longer need to farm as hard as he did.

While at the river, they stopped for lunch.

"Melissa, dear sister," said Anne, "would you be so kind as to fetch me some flowers form the field yonder? And Jane, please bring some water so I may wash the dishes before we head home." The sister's went off to do their assigned work, but while Jane was bent over the rushing water, Anne snuck up behind her and pushed her into the water.

_Sister, pray sister, pray lend me your hand,_

_Hey hey ho with me bony oh,_

_And I will give you house and land,_

_The swans swim so bony oh._

_I'll give you neither hand nor glove,_

_Hey hey ho with me bony oh,_

_First you give me your own true love,_

_The swans swim so bony oh._

Jane saw then her sister's treachery, and refused to give up her love for William. The river then tore her away from the bank and away she went down the river.

When Melissa returned, Anne said Jane had fallen in and she was unable to save her before the water took her away. The father, William and the court were much distressed, but no matter how hard they tried, they could not find Jane.

The river, in its power, took Jane's life and washed her body further and further downstream until, eventually, it slowed and her body was washed up upon a dam, and there it lay near a miller's house and mill.

In the early light of the next morning, the miller's daughter came down to the dam with her jug to get some fresh water to bake bread with.

_Father, oh daddy, her swims a swan,_

_Hey hey ho with me bony oh,_

_Looks fairly like a gentle woman,_

_The swans swim so bony oh._

The father came down, and sure enough, there was the drowned girl.

"It will not do to just leave her there. Let us fish her out and let her dry, and then we can give her a burial." So the miller and his daughter placed her on the bank and let her dry, and continued about their work. During the day, a harper came by the house to buy some bread, and he saw the girl upon the banks.

"What is this here? A dead girl upon your sands?" he asked them.

"We know not who she is, only that she washed up here in the night, and we shall bury her properly with a priest come tomorrow," the miller answered.

"No, I shall use my craft to find out her story. Let me take her," the harper begged.

"If you wish," answered the miller, and he gave Jane's body to him, which he took away in his cart.

_He made harp pins of her fingers fair,_

_Hey hey ho with me bony oh,_

_And made harp strings of her golden hair,_

_The swans swim so bony oh._

_He made a harp of her breast bone,_

_Hey hey ho with me bony oh,_

_And straight it began to play alone,_

_The swans swim so bony oh._

After several days work, the harpist was pleased to see the spirit of the girl had come to the harp he had made from her body. Asking a priest to bury it with the name the harp gave, he travelled north with his magical harp that could play itself. From town to town he went, and people paid well to see the self-playing harp, and the harp sang the same sad song of its betrayal from its sister, but none knew who it was that the harp was.

Eventually, the harper reached the kingdom, where things had just settled down after the wedding of William and Anne. Anne had cleverly coaxed her way into William's emotions, for she looked much like her sister, but was neither as fair nor as beautiful. Word reached the castle of the harp, and they sent forth messengers to bring the harper to the castle. Sure enough, the harper was more than willing to come to the castle and present his harp. Upon his arrival, the King and Queen greeted him warmly and took him to the hall to play for the entire court.

_He lay the harp upon a stone,_

_Hey hey ho with me bony oh,_

_And straight it began to play alone,_

_The swans swim so bony oh._

To everyone's amazement, the harp did indeed play of its own accord, but the harp did not sing as it had done before hand. Nor did it play its usual song, but played what it knew to be Anne's favourite song. Anne was much entertained by the harp, and asked for more.

The harp played many a tune, and only the harper knew that something was different. Then, within a moment, he worked it all out.

"And now," the harper said, addressing the hall. "The harp shall play its well-known tune for you all." Sure enough, the harp began the usual tune, but the words were changed, with only the harper expecting them so.

_There does sit my father the king,_

_Hey hey ho with me bony oh,_

_And yonder sits my mother the queen,_

_The swans swim so bony oh._

_There does sit my brother Hugh,_

_Hey hey ho with me bony oh,_

_And by him William sweet and true,_

_The swans swim so bony oh._

_And there does sit my false sister Anne,_

_Hey hey ho with me bony oh,_

_Who drowned me for the sake of a man,_

_The swans swim so bony oh._

There was utter silence throughout the hall as everyone looked at Anne, who had become quite flustered and uncertain.

"Is this true?" William asked her. Anne stuttered but could give no answer.

"Guards, take her away," the king ordered. The guards dragged Anne to the dungeon where she was to await trial.

"Jane, is it really you?" William asked the harp.

"Yes, 'tis I, your beloved. This harper turned my body into a harp so that I could tell my story. And now I have returned to you." Jane played again and sang to him, and she did so every night.

Melissa, the last sister, was married to Hugh and they lived happily ever after, while Anne faced trial, then had a stone tied around her feet and was thrown into the river at the height of the floods. She was never seen again. William kept the harp that was his only love, and never married, for the one he loved was forever gone to him. 


	16. The Quest of the Wild Prince

A/N: This story has been inspired, like most of them, from my tarot deck. Today's cards are 'The Chariot' or 'Mastery' and 'The Sun'. While generally translating, it means gaining control of one's circumstances to create a most wonderful outcome, or travelling for vacation, but today's story is quite different. Other cards will also influence this story, but I will tribute them as we go.

**The Four Wild Horses**

_The Quest of the Wild Prince_

Far away and long ago lived a King and his Queen, and they spent a lot of their time in a most relaxed state. While the running of kingdom and court was always overseen by them, they enjoied many past times from hunting to fancy balls, and not a day went by when they did not endulge in one of these activities.

Now, as the ability to lead a luxurious life comes with a cost, there was the inpending penalty of life bringing about many difficulties. But the Queen had found a way around this, for she was not only a Queen, but a powerful Sorceress. Many times did she call upon the fairies of the land to remove the impending difficulties, and repaid them with many generous gifts of ribbons, sweetmeats and other beautiful things.

However, one year, their neighbouring King saw their weakness in their luxurious life, and planned a campeign to overthrow thier kingdom to make it apart of his own. The fairy, in seeing this, fled to the Queen who had rewarded them so well to tell her of the army amassing to come and fight her and her husband.

"Is there nothing you can do?" asked the Queen, after listening to the situation and seeing their position hopeless.

"There is only one who can help you, but be careful upon setting out on this quest, for it might not be easy to repay the debt," the fairy answered.

"Tell me what it is I must do," the Queen answered, bowing deeply to the fairy as she made the request.

"You must summon a most dark and evil fairy who will help you defeat the army. You must in turn show her the same respects that you show us, and invite her to every event that you hoast worthy of our attendence, and present her with many gifts." The fairy, with a sigh of sadness, saw that the Queen fully intended to follow this action. So doing, she wished her the best of luck, accepted her gifts of cakes and ribbons, and left.

The Queen spent many nights searching through her books to find the fairy she needed to summon, allthewhile being sure that her husband was prepared for war. When their army was musttered, you could be sure it was a grand army, but by no means did it have the power to defeat the neighbouring King. On the last night before the King set off to war, the Queen found the fairy she needed to summon, Caraboose, and set about calling her. When she had written the incantation and set everything up, she told her waiting maids to leave her and on no circumstance to return until called. When the Queen was ready, she called the incantation and summoned Caraboose to her. There was a wild wind that blew through the room, putting out the candles and lamps that lit the room, and a bolt of lightening set a green fire ablaze. From the fire came the fairy Caraboose. Her dark clothing and expression warned the Queen instantly that there were indeed conciquences for summoning her.

Caraboose looked around the room and with a snap of her fingers, relit the candles and lamps.

"Who has summoned me at this late hour?" she demanded.

"It was I who summoned you," answered the Queen with the deepest of bows of respect.

"I see. I have heard of you, one who would use our magic to lead a peaceful life. It is about time you called on me to aid you and to be rewarded for good works," Caraboose answered, her arms crossed with indignancy. The Queen bowed again and indicated a large pile of neatly arranged clothing, sweetmeats, cakes and other things that all the other fairy generally accept. "These are for you, Lady Caraboose, for tribute to come at all. And I will make and order anything you wish to aid me again." Caraboose looked at the dresses and clothings, but in the end only took two, turning her nose up at the pretty colors and beautiful materials that made the other dresses. And of the sweetmeats and cakes, she took ony the meats with a look of slight unease. But she did indeed take all the jewels that were offered to her.

"I shall expect much better things when I have done the work set for me," Caraboose snapped.

"Very well, my Lady," the Queen said, bowing again.

"Get off your knee and tell me what it is that you wish of me," Caraboose demanded.

"Our country is under attack by a mot powerful enemy to whom we have set no anger upon, and we are in no position to dfeat him. Please help us to victory and we shall make you anything, cook the foods that please you and you shall be invited to all our events befitting your attendence."

Caraboose took a moment to ponder this, but then smiled cruelly. "Very well. I wish for dresses made of the darkest satin with no lace or ribbon. I wish for sweetmeats that are both salted and peppered beyond that which man could consume, and I desire many gold peices. Be sure to have these things ready when you summon me again." And with that, Caraboose disappeared in a burst of green fire and a wicked laugh. Feeling she had the situation well in hand, the Queen called her waiting maids to clean the room and bring her something to eat.

The following day, the two armies met at the boarder of the lands, ready to fight, but before anyone could charge, there was a roar as two dragons pulling a large and black chariot appeared out of the sky, swooping down on the army of the King's neighbour. Breathing out one large and noxious cloud of fumes, the entirity of the enemies army was ungulphed in the gases, and many fell over instantly dead, if not sick or frail.

Within two days, the King returned to his kingdom, victorious and thankful to his Queen for finding a way to bring them victory. But more news of joy unabound filled his heart when she announced she was with their child.

Months later, a little prince was born, and they named him Hirsuticus. Instantly, the Queen set about getting things ready for the christaning, quite forgetting about what she owed the fairy Caraboose or to have the orders finished. As the day finally arrived, the Queen stood at her throne with her book before her, and she spent many minutes summoning the fairy that were her friends, as well as the fairy Caraboose. Each fairy was presented with, upon arrival, a beautiful necklace of either gold or silver, with a pendant of a large precious stone. Each was also given a crown of gold or silver, woven with flowers that bloomed as brightly as the summer day. But Caraboose, to whom the Queen did her best to cater for, was presented with a gold necklace with a large and finely cut black diamond on it. Her crown was also made of gold, but woven with thorns from a rose bush with the flowers cut off. This satisfied her for the moment, but remember that faries have very long memories, considering how long they live for. Everyone was sat down at a long table and the feast began, and each fairy promised a gift to the child, including Caraboose.

So when the time came, the fairies lined up, but Lily, the most trusted fairy of the Queen, waited behind Caraboose, not trusting her to be fully honest in her promise.

The other fairies bestowed upon the prince every gift he could possibly need, such as courage, strength, intelligence, wit and charm. But when Caraboose stepped up, very few people were thinking she would do no wrong.

"Indeed, I bestow upon this Prince a gift most worthy of his parents. I give him the knowledge to find the four wild horses of the elemental worlds." There was a gasp as everyon recalled the dangers foretold in such a quest, and that no man had returned alive or well.

"What is this?" demanded the King and Queen at once.

"For your foolishness and misuse of our magic, and for the tribute I have not recieved for vanquishing your enemies, I have bespelled your child to face all your abandoned hardships for you. Should you not let him go, he shall become thin, pale and sickly, but never die. Do not summon me again lest you have a plentyful bounty to placate me with." And with that, green fire blazing around her, Caraboose disappeared.

"Fear not," said Lily, a calm smile upon her face. "My gift is the gift of guidence, that he shall not be alone in his quest, and that I, if none other, shall watch over him." With that, the other fairies left, and the King scolded the Queen for her foolishness.

Many years past, and the baby prince grew into a strong and healthy young man, but there was always one thing on his mind, and that was horses. He had all sorts of horses in his stable, and he loved them all, but he always wished for a stronger horse that would outdo any horse he would ever find. Feeling that they had no choice, the King and Queen sat him down and explained all, and told him of the rumored Four Wild Horses. the Prince instantly wanted to travel and find them, and the King and Queen remembered the warning Caraboose had given them. With heavy hearts but pride in their son, they let him go. Advising him as best a mother could, she told him to head to the home of the fairy Lily, who lived by the stream of eternal youth. Setting out, Hersuticus travelled for many days and many nights, some nights sleeping at an Inn, while others were spent in the forest or fields of the land. He asked many people where he might find the stream of eternal youth, but none knew.

Eventually, Hersuticus reached a distant town of a King, and he requested at the Palace for a place to stay. The King, who was a very proud one, allowed him to stay in one of the servent's rooms with whomever happened to be sleeping there. Thinking it better than most other choices, Hersuticus took it. That night, after eating a decent meal, he retred to his room to find an old woman sitting there spinning.

"Good evening young man, and how fair thee this evening?" she asked.

"I have but to rest dear ma'am, for I have a long journey before me." he repied in the most curtious of manors.

"Where is it you seek to go?" The old woman asked as she continued to spin.

"I seek the fairy Lily who lives in a house by the strwam of eternal youth," Hersuticus answered.

"Ah, you have not far to travel then" the old woman answered. "Come forth and look at the wheel as it spins," she said. Saying some magic words, the spinning spokes of the wheel changed to reveal the castle where they were, and then to show him the path across the land due north to a forest, and there within was the stream and the house.

"Thank you dear m'am," answered the Prince, "What can I do for you in return for your kindness and knowledge?"

"I will take but three gold coins. I am an old woman and have little to spend on, but the King expects so much of me with no reward," she answered. Hersuticus, feeling sorry for her and that he owed her so much more, gave her ten gold coins, to which she was grateful. "May your kind spirit take you far, Prince Hersuticus, for your road is a perilous one," she said. The Prince soon after fell asleep, and the next morning he was off again, following the path he had seen in the magic spinning wheel.

As he travelled through the forest to the stram, Hersuticus could hear continuously the voice of someone singing, and it seemed that all the birds sang along with the voice. It was rather beutiful to listen to, and none had ever been heard anywhere else before. Following the music and the path, Hersuticus finally arrived at the stream, and there he saw the castle of the fairy Lily.

"Greetings Prince, I have been expecting you for some time now," Lily said as he appraoched.

"Greetings to you, Lily," Hersuticus said with a sweeping bow. "I have come to seek your knwoledge."

"Very good then," Lily answered, showing him in. Her attendants took his cloak and possessions to be cleaned and put away neatly as he was shown in. "You seek the four wild horses, and I am going to help you," she said. "But first, let us sup and talk a little," she said, showing him to a small table covered in delicious foods and dirnks. Eating together, the two chatted about this and that like they were old friends catching up on old times. Hersuticus did not know the fairy Lily at all, but she had been watching over him all his life, and knew almost everything there was to know of him.

As evening drew near, Lily asked him to stay the night and be well rested for the next day of travel.

"I want you to read this for me," the fairy said, taking a book off a shelf and handing it to him. On the cover was a picture of four horses, each as beautiful yet as mythical as one could imagine a horse to be. Doing as he was bid, Hersuticus sat down to read and did not stop until he had finished it and was able to recite the book and all its knowledge. When he went to return it, Lily met him and offered him a small ring. The stone in the middle was an opal that shone many beautiful colors up at him, and the ring was made of silver that twisted around the stone.

"I shall ask your mother for tribute for this gift. But it shall guide you to the places where you will find the four horses. Only four people know where one of the horses may be, and you will need to seek them out. But be warned, this quest is a long one, for many hardships will you have to suffer. But as long as the silver remains as beautiful as it is now and does not brass, you still have hope."

Thanking the fairy and putting the ring on, Hersuticus knew whom it was he saught, and, with many thanks to the fairy Lily, he set off into the forest, riding a horse she had given him.


	17. The High Priestess of Watermoon

_Chapter Two: The High Priestess of Watermoon_

Hersuticus travelled for may days, following the stream through the forest which seemed to go on for ever. Knowing it was the true path to where his destiny lay, as the book had told him, he knew there was nothing else for it. He wondered what the water horse would be like, and whether or not he would be able to catch it.

After a night's rest, Hersuticus followed the stream until it at last came to what seemed to be the edge of the forest, but was in fact a clearing for what was a large temple. Through it flowed many waterfalls to a large pool below them.

"The only way into the temple is to go against the waterfall," Hersuticus recalled form the book. He dismounted and looked at the horse. "Stay here, know that Lily will keep you from harm," he assured it. The horse nodded its head as Hersuticus stepped up to the edge of the cliff. Spreading his arms, he dived off the edge to the large pool of water below. With a loud splash, he entered the water, which was lovely and refreshing in the warm sun. Coming to the surface, he looked up the large cliffs to see the temple far above him. But the only way in was accordingly to start here. Swimming over to where the waterfall met the water, Hersuticus searched for a way up or in. He searched under the water and behind the falls, but found nothing. Rubbing the ring upon his finger, the opal caught in the sunlight and shone upon the falls, which parted to reveal a ladder in the stones.

"The magic has not stopped surprising me yet," Hersuticus muttered as he began to scale the slippery rocks. It was a long way up, and the waterfall was quite an incumbance. But, toiling away with every ounce of strength he could muster, Hersuticus climbed the cliff to the top. At last, tired but proud, Hersuticus pulled himself onto the land between two streams that formed the falls. Breathing hard, he looked over at the temple. The setting sun behind it caused it to seem much less inviting than it did in the middle of the day. The other thing he noticed was that the place seemed deserted. No one was moving around and the plants had grown quite out of control. It wasn't until that night that he was strong enough to pull himself up and wander towards the darkened temple. From his kit he took a flint and stone and lit an old torch that was in the entryway, and began looking through the temples halls. They were large and spacious and had many levels. Unsure of where to go, Hersuticus moved form room to room, looking for any sign of the Priestess rumoured to live here. There were no beds made, sheets anywhere nor food prepared for anyone. there was no sign of life at all.

At last, Hersuticus reached the top of the temple and there he found a pool of water and a small stone alter. Taking off his ring, he held it up and then placed it on the alter and stepped back. A cloud moved and a full moon shone down upon the water, making it glow brightly as if the moon were right there. From within the shallow pool arose a beautiful figure, wearing a crown with a moonstone at its centre, which held in place the palest of blonde hair. Her clothing was thin and rather seethrough, but the deep blue of the material reflected the patterns of rippling water. Her eyes looked down on Hersuticus with a deep knowing, their dark blue image almost haunting.

"What is it you seek?" she asked, her voice deep and echoing.

"My name is Prince Hersuticus, I seek the knowledge of the Water Priestess," he answered.

"I am she to whom you seek. Tell me what the Priestess of Watermoon can do for you," she asked.

"I seek the Wild Horse of the Waterplanes." Hersuticus answered her. The Priestess closed her eyes for a moment before opening them agian. She seemed unwilling to answer, but then she nodded her consent.

"The horse runs freely in the rivers of the world, but once a month it must come here to drink of the waters of my temple that it may roam free again. If you wait until that night, you will find it here. But be warned, it must finish it's drink first or else it will lsoe the power it is rumoured to possess. Until then, I bid you stay at my temple." The Priestess answered and then disappeared. Hersuticus, unable to say anything more, went back into the temple, but it suddenly seemed a lot cleaner and there had been attendants in since he had gone onto the roof. So staying for three nights but seeing no one, Hersuticus kept constant vigial on the waterfalls of the temple and the large pool below.

Upon the forth night as the moon turned to a fading half, there was the sounds of horse hooves and a neigh that echoed long across the deep caverns. Looking down, Hersuticus saw the Water Horse arrive at the edge of the streams that made the waterfall. Making his plan, Hersuticus slipped into the flowing stream and hid under water near the horse until it had finished its drink. Being careful to come up for air when it was absolutely needed and not to be so blunt about it as to scare the horse, Hersuticus waited for more than an hour for the horse to finish its drink. Finally, when his patience was starting to thin, the horse finished drinking and turned to leave. Slipping quietly out of the water, Hersuticus jumped upon the horse, but he had given it such a start it began to ride away, Hersuticus clinging for dear life. The wild horse rode especially fast and was faster than any horse he had ever been on, not to mention as rough. Pulling himself up onto the horses back, Hersuticus took a rope form his side bag and made a noose out of it. Putting it around the horses neck, he pulled tightly and the horse came to a stop.

"Have I done it?" he asked no one in particular. "Have I caught one of the four wild horses?" As if to answer, the horse turned around and went back towars the temple at an easy pace until it arrived at the stream to which it was drinking. Feeling sure he had it tamed, Hersuticus was about to dismount when the horse took off suddenly and jumped, freely as you like, over the edge of the cliff and into the large pool below. As it entered the water, Hersuticus grabbed onto its neck, and it was lucky he did, for the horse seemed to turn into water and the rope around its neck slipped off and disappeared. Hersuticus could still feel the horse in his arms, and it swam deeper and deeper into the pool. Holding on desperately to his breath, Hersuticus could not see any sign of the bottom, and he dared not look up to see how far they had swam, but simply clung on for dear life. Finally, the bottom appeared. the horse landed and then kicked off, gliding like a fish towards the surface. Hersuticus was running out of air, and was sure he was going to perish like all the others, for the bottom of the pool was littered with bones of men. He watched with what was left of his fading mind as the surface drew nearer. Just as he thought he wasn't going to make it, the horse broke the surface and rose onto it as if it were glass. Taking many deep gasps of air, Hersuticus took several moments to get his breath back. When his breathing had returned to normal, there was a shinning image in the water, and out of it arose the Priestess of Watermoon.

"Well done Hersuticus, you have caught one of the wild horses. Be proud, for no man has achieved this before. But be warned, none of the other horses are as easy to catch, and this horse will not betray its ciblings."

"I understand," Hersuticus panted. "Where must I go to find the next horse?" he asked.

"The Water Horse, Ambu, will now ride on land or water to any place in the world you ask of it. But be careful, for she does not always know the way. My daughter lives in the wild forests and fields of the far north. Seek her out at the Perriroyal Forest and the castle that lays within."

The next day, mounted upon his horse, Hersuticus took leave of the temple of Watermoon, leaving behind some silver coins for the priestess, along with many fruits from the forest. Riding the horse Ambu across the rivers of the forest and the lands that surrounded it, Hersuticus soon found himself clear of the thick lands to arrive in a local town.

Many people came to admire Hersuticus, for no one had seen a horse like the one he rode before. The horse was a magnificent deep silver color that reminded you of the most still water, with a mane and tail hair so soft and flowing that it seemed to almost be made of water. When Hersuticus took it to the stable to be fed and watered, it gave him a look as if to ask where he was going.

"Is there something I do not know?" he sked Ambu. In responce, she nudged the hand wearing the opal ring. "Do you want me to touch you with it?" he asked. The horse presented its forehead in reply. Touching the ring to the horses head, it suddenly disappeared as if its body had turned to water and fallen to the ground. Hersuticus rubbed the ring, but then recalled how the horses could be called upon command if you possess the ring of the wilderness. The gifted ring from the fairy Lily had been that ring. Hersuticus only hoped his mother could repay such a debt and not do what she had done to Caraboose last time.

Spending his night in the Inn, Hersuticus tried asking people if they knew where Perriroyal Forest was, but few of the people there spoke his language, and none knew where it was. Deciding that he could only rely on Ambu to take him in the general direction, Hersuticus continued on his travels.

A/N: This chapter is inspired by the most powerful tarot card, 'The High Priestess.' Her wisdom, knowledge, grace and patience are that to inspire all, and I hope that you have seen her in my writings and in life.


	18. The Empress of the Perriroyal Forests

_Chapter Three: The Empress of the Perriroyal Forests_

Following land and river, both night and day, Hersuticus rode Ambu north through many different lands. Ambu was a most powerful horse, able to ride over wild rivers, with or against the current, as if it were merely a slightly steep hill. Through many changing temperatures they travelled, until finally they came to a stop outside a very thick forest. In the middle of the forest, way off in the distance, an ancient castle ruin could be seen. Hersuticus tried to urge his horse forward, but Ambu would go no further.

"This must be the high forest to which the Empress lives. You cannot guide me through it, can you?" Hersuticus asked. The horse shook its head. Dismounting, He called the horse back into the ring and trudged on foot into the forest.

There had been many places Hersuticus had travelled, many had been forests, but none had the same feeling as this place. Perriroyal Forest had quite a sensation to it, as if there was nothing to fear. The forest also seemed to be very bright, as if the canopy of the trees could block no light. Many of the trees were full of life and there seemed to be a presence here.

As night fell, Hersuticus looked to find wood for a fire, but it seemed as if the forest was avoiding him, not allowing the wood to be taken. Wondering what he would do, Hersuticus curled up under a tree and taking his blanket from his bag, he found the ground was comfortable and somewhat warming, and he slept soundly.

The sound of birds awoke him the next morning, and Hersuticus continued his journey. After three days of travelling in this fashion, he came to the edge of a clearing that held the castle. The whole place was surrounded by bushes of wild berries and fruit trees. Hersuticus plucked a pear for himself and ate, and the fruit was more suculant and tasty than anything he had eaten in his life. After trying a few fruits and filling his hunger, he wandered into the castle. It was definately abandoned and seemed to be falling apart. However, he soon found what had to be the throne room. The room was very overgrown with wild flowers and vines. At the far end of the room was a throne set upon a dais which was surrounded by the most brightly colored flowers of the whole room, or even any Hersuticus had ever seen in his life. He took the ring he wore and placed it in front of the throne and kneeled before the dais. A single petal fell from one of the flowers and landed in the middle of the throne, and from it came the image of a woman. She was very pretty and young in her appearence, wearing bright green robes. Her golden hair fell in thick waves down to the floor and held a gold crown of stars, woven with beautiful flowers. In her hand was a sceptre of a giant daisy, but what caught his attention most was that she seemed to be pregnant.

"Empress," Hersuticus said, bowing in his kneeled position.

"Greetings Hersuticus. My Mother spoke of your coming to my kingdom. I am the Empress of Perriroyal Forest and Mother to all living things. I know you seek the wild horse of the Earth."

"Yes, majesty," Hersuticus answered.

"I can tell you that the wild horse of the earth comes here every month to feast of the wild berries and the fruits of which I grow here in my garden and of which you have tasted. You will need to wait here for the day that it will come to feast. When it does, you may try to capture it. Never again will you see a more beautiful horse in your life." The Empress held up her sceptre and little gold lights flew out of it and around the castle. "You are welcome to stay here in my castle until the time you capture the horse, or perish trying. But be warned, you must wait until it is finished feasting before you try to capture it, or else it will lose its magical abilities."

"Thank you Empress, I honor you with these gifts of gold," Hersuticus said, holding his hand up and presenting her with gold coins. The Empress gestured for him to step forward and place them in the daisy of her sceptre. "May I be so bold as to ask you something, your majesty?" Hersuticus inqured.

"Please do," The Empress answered.

"How long until your majesty has her child, to which I offer my congratulations," hersuticus asked.

"I am not of mortal living, and so therefore do not have the same powers as your women. I am eternally pregnant, for I am eternally creating new life upon this earth. Flowers are always growing and bursting with bloom, trees are growing new leaves and animals are forever having offspring. The day all this stops is the day I shall no longer be pregnant." She smiled politely at his understanding. "Go now and rest, for you have had a tiring journey. I promise you that today is not the day the wild horse will come to feast." The Empress disappeared in a flurry of butterflies and Hersuticus looked around. The castle seemed to have turned into its proper self, but all around were the creatures of the wild. Hersuticus rested, ate and drank to his hearts desire. That night as he slept, the hare curled up beside him and the tiger guarded his room.

At the first light of day, Hersuticus went to the topmost tower to look down into the clearing to see if the horse was coming that day. He waited until noon, the hawk and the dove watching with him, until he realised that today was not the day, and he spent the rest of his aftrnoon amusing himself amoungst the castles beautiful flowers and read the many books on nature. For many days he followed this pattern, until finally, one morning, he saw movement in the trees and into the clearing came the wild horse of the earth. It had to be it, for the horse was not of any he had seen before, and the Empress was quite right in saying that it was a beautiful horse. The horse was a deep green, but it had patterns of flowers upon its body. While it had a saddle and harness made of gold, it seemed content with its free living. Its mane and tail were all braided and tied most beautifully, with each tuft of hair at the end holding a different flower.

Wasting no time, Hersuticus raced down the tower and silently slipped out into the clearing. Seeing the horse eating by the wild berries, he slipped into the forest and made his way around to a point close to where it was eating. The horse ate from different trees and bushes all day, and did not seem to get either fuller or fatter. Finally, as the sun began its slow decent into the western horizon, the horse finished eating and began to wander into the forest. Moving quickly Hersuticus jumped and caught the horse around the neck. The horse reared in fright and began running through the forest. Wasting no effort, Hersuticus pulled himself up into the saddle and clung for dear life as the horse ran as fast as you'd like through the trees and shrubs. Many branches ripped at Hersuticus, but this only made him more determined to hold on, pressing his body low to the horse. Finally, after several minutes, they were clear of the forest. Hersuticus took a deep breath in relief, but when he tried to stop the horse, it would not be tamed, and continued to charge. Coming up ahead of them was a large wall of stone that led into the mountains surrounding one side of the forest. At the base of the mountains, Hersuticus could clearly see crushed skeletons of men who had tried to capture the horse before today. The horse continued to charge at the wall of rock. Taking a deep breath moments before they would impact into the wall, Hersuticus waited for the end. When he felt instead was a deep crushing feeling. The horse had run right into the mountain and was travelling through it. It was very difficult to breathe and Hersuticus felt the crushing force becoming more and more as he travelled. Doing what he could he kept breathing, but the sensation of being crushed was becoming too much. Just when he thought he could no longer take it, the horse came out of the mountain. Hersuticus relaxed his body, but still the horse didn't stop. It was charging at another mountain. Readying himself, Hersuticus breathed in again and into the mountain they went. The sensation was just as strong and painful as the first. While he couldn't see much, he did get the faint visions of skeletons of men who had clearly lost their grip or tried to flee in panic. Clinging on even more than thought possible, Hersuticus used every amount of his will to remain on the horse and resist the feeling.

After what seemed like an age, the horse turned upward suddenly, and Hersuticus, while not only finding himself on the surface of earth as oppossed to the other side of a mountain, also discovered he was back at the castle, and the horse had stopped. He patted its neck as he took several breaths and relaxed. The horse was hopefully tamed to him now. He gave it a nudge and they rode peacefully to the entrance of the castle where the Empress stood smiling.

"Well done Hersuticus, you have tamed the wild horse of the earth. Her name is Ertha and she now belongs to you. She knows the way across all the lands on earth, and knows where every city, person and landmark is. But know this, she cannot cross water like Ambu, but she will ride just as hard and well as you need her to."

Dismounting, Hersuticus kneeled before the Empress. "Please your majesty, tell me where to find the next horse," Hersuticus begged of her.

"My husband, the Emperor of the Burning Mountain knows where the wild horse of fire is. Be careful upon your way there, that Ambu does not get thirsty or that Ertha does not get too hot, for it shall weaken them, and remember the horses will not betray their kin."

"Thank you my Empress, please accept this offering of gold to thank you for your aiding me. " Again he presented her with gold coins, and many more than last time, and she took them into her sceptre. Kissing him upon the forehead, Hersuticus felt all his scratches and wounds heal. The Empress then bid Hersuticus farewell and Hersuticus mounted Ertha.

"Ertha, lead me to the Burning Mountain," Hersuticus called. Ertha reared into life and charged off to the east. As they ran through Perriroyal Forest again, Hersuticus couldn't feel the scratches of the branches as he rode through the forest. Ertha clearly protected him from harm now that he was her master. As the last light of day shone across the forests, Hersuticus smiled as he raced towards the next wild horse.

A/N: This chapter is inspired by the tarot card 'The Empress,' the most motherly of cards, the picture of nature and beauty, love, caring, fertility and sex. I hope her representation in this story is well portrayed.


	19. The Burning Mountain of Fire

_Chapter Four: The Burning Mountain of Fire_

For several days, Hersuticus travelled through many foreign lands and on his ventures met several people, but none spoke much, if any, of his language. Finally, he came to an ocean boarder on the edge of what is now Russia and could go no further. Calling Ertha back into the ring, she dissapeared in a flurry of flower petals. Rubbing the ring, Hersuticus summoned Ambu and mounted her.

"To the land where the Burning Mountain of Fire is." Ambu thought for a while, and then galloped across the sea as fast as she could. It took two days to cross the wild oceans and arrive on a hot exotic island. Upon his arrival, Hersuticus saw in the middle of the island was a large volcano, and the forests seemed uninhabbited. Ambu could go no further due to the heat, and Hersuticus used his ring to send Ambu away and tried to summon Ertha, but she would not come.

"This must be too close to its kin. I will have to find my way there myself," Hersuticus said, and began his trudge through the jungle. The heat and moisture was almost unbearable, but he saw the many trees were covered with wild fruits, and eating one was enough to satisy his thirst.

Hersuticus continued his journey into the jungle, and he saw that the many animals he came across, fierce or gentle, simply turned and left him alone.

Finally, he came to the base of the volcano after a days travel. Looking up, he saw that the middle of the volcano had many cave entries. Some of them were easy to reach, but others were nearly impossible to scale. Hersuticus began searching in the caves as he began to climb. Some of the caves appeared to be rooms while others were places like a kitchen, a bathroom or other household places, none of which you'd find in the middle of a volcano base.

Finally, Hersuticus came to what was clearly a throne room. The throne was made of stones and gems, all of which sparkled in the lights of the room. The room had many piles of gold and jewelsin the corners, and in fornt of the throne was a small alter where there were some stones placed and some space for the ring. Placing the ring on the alter, Hersuticus waited, but nothing happened. He placed some silver and gold coins upon it as well, but there was still nothing.

"What are you doing?" a voice asked. Hersuticus turned around to see two children standing in the entry of the cave.

"I think he's trying to summon Dad," one of the children, a girl, said.

"But he needs to ask us," the other, a young boy, replied.

"Pardon me children, but would you mind helping?" Hersuticus asked.

"Of course. You should have asked earlier," the little girl said.

"But I didn't see you earlier," Hersuticus replied.

"That's because you weren't paying attention. You walked right past us," the girl explained. She and her brother stepped forward and moved the stones on the alter around. A pattern appeared on each of the stones, and they suddenly burst into flames, and a jet of fire spiraled to the throne, forming into the shape of a man.

"Thank you children, you may go and play," the Emperor said, waving his hand. He was dressed like a traditional king, wearing red robes and a purple mantle, In one hand he had a sceptre that was long enough to be a walking cane, with a large jasper ball at the top. His crown of gold was pointed and shaped in such a style it looked like a crown of fire, and the Emperor himself looked rather youthful, his young face framed with dark brown hair.

"Greetings Emperor, I am Hersuticus. I have come in search of the wild horse of fire." Hersuticus bowed deeply.

"Greetings Hersuticus, my wife informed me of your arrival. You have done well to arrive here and to seek out the horses. Just remember that only you can capture the horse of fire and that the others will not aid you. However, this task will be somewhat easier and harder than the other two horses." The Emperor pointed his sceptre to a far wall and a spark shot at it. A symbol appeared on the wall and a door outlined itself. "The horse is here every day, and when you are rested, you can go forth and seek the horse in the volcano itself. It will leave the volcano at sundown and return tomorrow." The Emeror scooped up the coins Hersuticus had left and disappeared. At that moment, the children returned.

"We'll show you to your room if you'd like," the girl said.

"Thank you. Since your Father is the Emperor, you two must be a prince and a princess. What are your names?"

"I am Princess Cancerian," The girl replied.

"And I am Prince Capricorn," The boy replied.

"And I am Prince Hersuticus," he introduced. "What odd names you have."

"We guard the upper and lower realms of the earth," the children answered.

"I don't understand," Hersuticus answered.

"Well, there are two parts of the world, and each one has a specific tropic. I guard the top and my brother guards the bottom." Princess Cancerian saw that Hersuticus was still somewhat confused. "Do not worry, we will take you to your room and then you can rest."

Sure enough, Hersuticus rested well and slept through the night, Cancerian and Capricorn looking after him as best they could. They talked many hours of the different things they knew of the world and what they wanted to do.

The next day, Hersuticus approached the magical door the Emeror had made, Turning the handle, he was hit with a burst of heat, but he bravely continued. Inside, he could see a path deep into the volcano that was lit with torches, and in the distance was a bright light. When he reached the end of the tunnel, Hersuticus could see way below a pit of molten lava, and above him, grazing on some coals, was the horse of fire. It was more beautiful than Hersuticus could have dreamed. Its mane and tail were made of fire, and across its deep orange body were red markings that looked like fire. The horse looked up instantly and saw him. Not being bothered, it returned to its grazing. Hersuticus could see why, as the path he had been following ended and he would have to climb up to the ledge to even attempt a capture. Looking carefully, Hersuticus started to find a path across the walls to the horse. Sure enough, he spotted one and began climbing. The heat from the lava below was extreme and the sweat pouring off his body was enough to make it difficult to grip the rocks.

After many slips and slides, Hersuticus finally made it to the ledge the fire horse was at. The horse gave him a distainful look.

"You are used to this aren't you?" Hersuticus asked. The horse made no mavement. Hersuticus waited a moment, then jumped, clinging to the horse and pulling himself onto the horses back, he waited for it to start running, but then realised that he was even hotter than he had been the whole exploit to where he was. Finally the horse, discovering the heat of its body wouldn't put him off, it reared and charged down the side of the volcano and started to gallop for the lava. Hersuticus clung for dear life, though he couldn't breathe from the fumes and the extreme heat. Each breath he took seemed to set his lungs a-blaze with pain, and all he could do was grip on as the horse rode the length of the pit. While the spray of lava did not touch Hersuticus, he felt extreme pain as the horses body became hotter than before.

Finally, the horse had finished its run across the lava and ran up the far wall. As the distance became more and more, Hersuticus found his breathing returning to a slightly normal pace and less painful. The horse reached the top of the volcano and jumped. Hersuticus almost fell off in panic when he saw where they were headed. The horse was charging straight at the sun. The heat and the brightness made Hersuticus close his eyes and hope that he did not slip. This must have been the point of death for anyone who had survived the earlier test. The fire horse reached a certain height then turned and started to fly back towards earth at an alarming rate. The heat from that was even more intense as it picked up speed. Hersuticus was nearly unconcious from the extreme heat. As the earth came plummiting towards him, Hersuticus waited for the sharp impact. The fire horse, however, managed to pull up and start running quickly. As it went through the jungle it left a trail of fire behind it, but the refreshing breeze cooled Hersuticus down. Finally, the horse stopped at the entrance of the Emperor's throne room, where he stood waiting. Hersuticus dismounted the horse, then colappsed to the ground. His body was covered in blisters, boils and burns. The Emperor touched him with the tip of his amber sphere and Hersuticus felt a cool sensation wash over him as his body recovered through the magic

"Well done, you have tammed the most dangerous of the wild horses; Aedus. You should be very proud," the Emperor mused. "The fire horse can travel through any sort of weather and keep you warm or cool, depending. You will also find that the fire horse has an unbelievable amount of magic, and is the best horse for leading you into battle. But be careful not to ride him all day, for he needs to come to the volcano every day while the sun shines to feed on the coals here, lest he lose his abilities. So I highly recommend calling upon him when necessary. Go now and rest while the horse returns to its grazing through the magic of your ring." Hersuticus, stanidng with a bit of a wobble, pressed the ring to the horses forehead and it disappeared in a burst of flame. He then presented the Emeror with a handful of gold coins, but he refused them. "I have the hoard of a dragon, what use is a few extra gold pieces. You will need to offer something better." Hersuticus pondered for a moment and then took form his bag a small staff.

"This staff is made of wood that grows deep in my country and nowhere else. While I have used it to build fires, I think your majesty would find it more a prize than anything else," Hersuticus explained, offering it.  
"Indeed I will. Go and rest, and thank you," the Emperor said, disappearing in a flash of fire. With joy in his heart and a weary head, Hersuticus walked to his room ad fell instantly asleep on the bed.

When Hersuticus awoke up the next morning, Capricorn and Cancerian had made him something to eat and Hersuticus ate with a great appetite.

"Our Father has told us to tell you where to find the last horse," Cancerian said as Hersuticus ate.

"Thank you," Hersuticus said as he took a draught of his juice.

"You will need to travel south to the great land of ice. Be careful there, for few men have travelled there and no one has mapped that part of the world yet." Capricorn expressed concern in his explanation. "The fire horse will definately help you get there, but he needs to be sent back here every day, so there is a chance you may not survive. Promise you will be careful."

"I will," Hersuticus said. As Hersuticus finished eating and got ready to go, be gifted the children with some gold coins each, which they accepted. Summoning Ertha, he began his journey south, having high hopes in his heart for his last effort to capture the last wild horse.

A/N: This chapter is inspired by 'The Emperor' Tarot card. Most Fatherly and guardian of the home. Strong, determined, focused and aware of what his children are about, he was the best symbol for this chapter, as I hope I have shown.


	20. The High Priest of the Icewinds

_Chapter Five: The High Priest of the Icewinds_

It did not take Eartha long to get to the edge of the island, where Hersuticus summoned Ambu to ride the seas to the southern land of ice. Ambu ran quickly over the oceans, and in one day, had reached the frozen southern lands. Hersuticus discovered that the children had been right in that the land was freezing. The sun was setting and that he had plenty of time to get across the icelands to his destination. He hoped that Aedus knew the way. Dressing as warmly as he could Hersuticus summoned Aedus and mounted the horse. The fire of its body warmed him as he set off south towards a shining light in the distance.

It took many hours to travel across the frozen lands, and Hersuticus didn't feel the cold, but he knew that when day came, he would be on his own if he did not reach the location he saught.

Finally, in the distance, he could see a large castle of stone and ice, and knew he was close to his destination. It was this castle that was creating the lights in the sky as any light that shone onto the castle, even a starlight, created a light in the ice. As he got closer, Aedus began to slow until finally, not too far from the castle, it stopped completely.

"This must be it," Hersuticus said. As he looked towards the east, he saw the sun rising, and decided now was a better time than ever to send Aedus away. Doing so, he instantly felt the cold, but Hersuticus moved as quickly as he could towards the castle. He soon reached the door and found that, unlike the other locations he had been to, this castle was well built and spectacular in appearence.

Approaching the door, Hersuticus knocked with a giant knocker and waited. A few moments past and the door opened. Inside, it was surprisingly warm, but the heat did not cause the ice to melt. The halls were made of ice with floors of stone. There were few decorations to add any color, but Hersuticus didn't mind that, he had seen places even more boring that here.

Knowing the last element was air, he decided to travel upstairs to find the throne, dais or alter he needed. He spent many an hour wandering around the castle, it was that large, until finally he looked out a window into the inner courtyard. What a surprise he got when he saw that it was not full of snow and ice like he thought it would be, but was almost clear of any signs of the frozen lands that surrounded the castle. And sure enough, an alter, a throne and dais were there. Heading back downstairs, Hersuticus found his way outside and approached the alter. Placing the ring and then kneeling before it, Hersuticus bowed and waited.

"Greetings Hersuticus, bravest of all men to have come here these many centuries and master of three wild horses," a voice called, echoing off the ice and stone walls of the courtyard. "You have come in search of the last wild horse and seek my aid in doing so. Well I see no problem with that," the voice continued. There was a gust of wind leaves from the treees and bushes in the courtyard blew around, before cycloning into the throne and forming the shape of a man. "I am the High Priest of Icewinds Palace. Welcome to my home," he said, gesturing with his hand.

"Greetings Hig Priest, and thank you for recieving me," Hersuticus said.

"I think we had better have a word before I let you go after the last horse," the High Priest said. "What I must tell you is the trick that has been played upon you and your parents."

"Trick?" Hersuticus replied.

"Indeed. Caraboose saught the four horses many times, for if she could control them, she would gain great power, power that is not hers to have." The High Priest looked at Hersuticus with a raised eyebrow. "Capturing the last horse will draw her attention, and she will battle you nail, tooth and claw to gain power of your ring."

"I understand. Can I defeat her with the power of the horses?" Hersuticus asked.

"Indeed you can. She will never die at the power of the horses, but you can certainly put her in her place so she will not come after you."

"I am prepared to take this risk," hersuticus answered.

"Very well. The last horse, Aries, needs the least amount of care, in comparison to the other horses. He can fly over great distances as well as ride swiftly. Be sure to ride him in the outdoors every day, or be sure that someone walks the horse outside. This simple task rpevents him from losing his abilities. Good luck, Hersuticus." The High Priest sat back in his throne and raised his right hand in a symbolic movement. The throne seemed to fade and disappear along with the High Priest, leaving a doorway there. Hersuticus left some silver and gold coins upon the alter and stepped through the door. A strong wind picked up and Hersuticus saw that not only was he in a realm where there were many clouds, but little earth. The thin ground seemed to be crumbling beneath him with his weight. Moving carfully across the thin bars of ground, he presently heard the sound of hooves and saw, coming through the clouds, the last wild horse. It didn't seem to notice Hersuticus but continued its journey. The horse was indeed the most beautiful of them all. It's mane and tail floated freely with sky blue hairs, shining like the sun itself was caught within each strand. It's body was of the darkest blue, with millions of stars across it. Upon its forehead was the symbol of a cresent moon.

Hersuticus kept moving across the thin land after the horse as it miandered through the air. Hersuticus, seeing his chance, jumped and landed perfectly on the horses back. It reared in fright and took of, Hersuticus holding onto its neck. The speed in which they travelled was faster than any horse could ever run, the force pushing Hersuticus backwards slowly but surely. Doing his best to keep his grip, Hersuticus wrapped some of the horses mane around his wrists and kept on clinging. Their course began to disend, and Hersuticus saw that they were headed out of the very clouds of the sky towards the earth. He knew perfectly well, the horse could not go through the earth like Eartha, but he guessed this would be another test. The horse kicked off from the ground and travelled at great speed in an arc around the world, rising slowly but surely until they had travelled so far, the day had turned to night by the speed of their travels. Hersuticus took a deep breath as he saw their path go even higher, breaking the clouds again. But they did not return to the realm of air as they had been in before, but surfaced on the clouds where the air was very thin. Hersuticus took a few shallow breaths, calmed his mind so as not to panic and looked aorund. The view was spectacular, the moon and the stars shining upon the cloud surface. They rode this path for quite some time and very slowly. Hersuticus, while feeling light headed, remained calm at the lack of air here. Finally, the horse dipped through the clouds again and came down to earth a lot more gently to land, right outside the house of the Fairy Lily.

"Well, will you look at that," Lily said as Hersuticus dismounted. "Hersuticus has returned victorious."

"And I owe it all to you, my Lady," Hersuticus said as he bowed to her.

"Yes, there is some truth in that," Lily answered, "but you did all the work, I simply..." Her comments were interupted by a loud crack of thunder and a burst of lightening. This blast rang loudly and travelled around the globe, like one long chain of energy.

"There are a few things we need to discuss," Hersuticus said.

A/N: This chapter has been inspired by the 'High Priest/Hirophant' tarot card. Guardian of spiritual knowledge and the one who is saught most for his wisdom, I hope he presented this way to you through my writings.


	21. The Final Challenge

_Chapter Six: The Final Challenge_

"Indeed, it would be like Caraboose to do something like this. But you must meet her in battle and show her who is the real amster of the four horses," Lily said.

"I know. I shall return home at once, for it will be my land on which we battle," hersuticus replied.

"That would be best," Lily said. "Ride Ertha and ride fast, for Caraboose will be here shortly. She gathers, even now, all her dark powers to battle with you."

Wasting no time, Hersuticus mounted Ertha, who carried him fast across the lands to his home castle, and within the hour, Hersuticus arrived home, calling to the King and Queen.

Overcome with joy, they fall upon him weeping with happiness to see their son alive and well.

"We have no time," hersuticus said. "Caraboose is coming to battle me for the horses. We were all tricked by her. Have servants retrieve my armour and defend the castle with as many men as we can." The King and Queen quickly went about getting things ready. Hersuticus was dressed in silver armour and chainmail, and the Queen cast a spell upon it to make it shine as bright as the moon.

A large noise out the front announced Caraboose's arrival. Hersuticus went out the front to meet her.

"Hersuticus, give me the ring of the wilderness, lest I set my pets upon you," Caraboose called, her dark robes billowing in the wind.

"Never. This power was not ment for you," Hersuticus answered. Raising her wand, Caraboose summoned to her two large serpants. Hersuticus rubbed his ring and Ambu appeared before him. Mounting, he looked at the two large snakes before him.

"Kill him!" Caraboose ordered.

"Come and get me!" Hersuticas challenged, and headed off towards the nearby sea, Ambu galloping as fast as she could. The serpants were indeed fast and soon caught up with Ambu, but they had also reached the sea. Ambu rode across the water effortlessly while the serpants slithered into the water to give chase. Racing across the seas, the serpants dove in and out of the water, trying to catch them, but Ambu was in her element now, and she simply turned to water whenever the serpants tried.

Lightening struck the water in front of them, and Hersuticus saw Caraboose flying in hot pursuit, her wand pointed directly at him.

"Dive deep," Hersuticus called, and Ambu went below the surface. Hersuticus could breathe normally, and the serpants chased them deeper and deeper into the water. Finally, they reached the bottom of the sea, and the serpants suddenly discovered their need for air. Too late, they were trapped by the water as Ambu rode around them in fast circles, creating a barrier. The serpants, trapped in this sphere, drowned. Hersuticus rode to the surface and dismounted on the shore. Sending Ambu away, he awaited Caraboose to return.

"Fool!" She snarled. She raised her wand and summoned two giants. Hersuticus summoned Ertha, mounted and off they rode as fast as you like towards the mountains, the giants chasing and Caraboose close behind.

Hersuticus charged Ertha towards the mountains which grew closer in a moment, and he called for her to ride into them. As she was bid, Ertha drove into the side of the mountain and disappeared. Hersuticus was protected from the effects of the crushing mountains, but he could hear the giants trying to pursue, bashing their way through the rock. Hersuticus turned Ertha towards the top of the mountain, The giants tried to go after them, and when one swung his club, he missed and clobbered his twin. This enraged the twin and the two soon broke into a fight deep inside the mountain. With great rage they battled while Hersuticus rode back to his castle, leaving the giants to kill each other.

"Damn you!" Caraboose cursed. She raised her wand again and a giant Griffin appeared. Hersuticus sent Ertha away and summoned Aedus. A flash of fire and he was there. "Ride for the sun," Hersuticus called, and they were off. Aedus rode swiftly into the air, the heat growing rapidly, and the Griffin was right on their tail. Caraboose, watching, saw them head into the brightness of the sun. Hersuticus continued into the blinding light of the sun, the Griffin first falling back a little, but then letting out a sudden shriek, as the heat of the sun, too much for its body, set it a-flame and the beast went hurtling to the earth, fire blazing from its body. Before hersuticus could think of what to do next, another griffin was sent after them.

"Call the heat of the sun to your hooves," Hersuticus called, and Aedis was suddenly a-blaze with bright red warhooves and it charged at the griffin. The two forces got close to each other very quickly, but Hersuticus knew what to do, as did Aedus. When the moment was right, Aedus pulled up and kicked out at the griffin, its blazing hooves hitting the wild beast in the chest. The griffin was stunned and did not see Aedus adjust to take a kick right to the head, sending it to the ground, scolded and dead. Hersuticus landed upon the earth and sent Aedus away.

"Enough of this!" Caraboose ragged. She rounded her two dragons that drew her chariot on Hersuticus and charged. Hersuticus summoned Aires and rode into the air at lightening speed, straight towards Caraboose. The dragons, seeing them coming, took in a breath to breathe their deadly fumes upon Hersuticus and his horse, but the majestic Aires sprouted wings like a pegasus and beat the air, sending the cloud of poison right back at the dragons. Caraboose, coughing and spluttering, fell form her chariot and the two dragons flew in the air, suffocating on their own gases. Aires came close to them and quickly kicked both of them like he were a wild mule. Both dragons, beaten to death, fell from the sky. Hersuticus landed near Caraboose and raised his ring into the air. All four horses appeared, drawing a chariot of the finest silver and gold. Hersuticus charged at Caraboose, battle rage clear upon his face. She pointed her wand at him and cast a spell, but it bounced off his perfectly shined armour, striking her instead. As she fell to the ground, the four horses and chariot ran over her, stomping her deep into the earth. The chariot turned and they looked back. Caraboose was gone, as well was the bodies of her dragons and othr beasts. Hersuticus rode the chariot home, the midday sun bouncing off his armour and he held a branch high in the air to show his victory. Everyone in the castle cheered their Prince for his victory.

And so it was that Hersuticus was the amster of the Four Wild Horses. No one knows what happened to him in later years when he ruled the kingdom, but the four horses can still be seen roaming the world when he is not riding them. So if you ever see one of the wild horses, feel the courage of the only man to tame all four.

A/N: No inspiration, just a way to wrap up this story. I hope that this longer story has been one you enjoyed, as it has been a long time in the works. Thank you for reading this long effort of writing, and please review, I think I deserve it.


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